


We Are All Stories

by PrincessPersephone123



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure, Amelia Pond Traveling The Stars, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Developing Friendships, Doctor Who Feels, Doctor Who References, Doctor/Companion Friendship, Eleventh Doctor & Amy Pond Friendship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Fluff, Female Doctor (Doctor Who), Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Life in the TARDIS, Love, Male Companion (Doctor Who), Marvel Universe, Mentioned Companions (Doctor Who), Mentioned Tenth Doctor, Minor Eleventh Doctor/Rory Williams, New Companions (Doctor Who), New York City, Outer Space, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Platonic Relationships, Post-Episode: s07e05 The Angels Take Manhattan, Precious Peter Parker, Slow Romance, The Doctor (Doctor Who) is a Professor, The Doctor Has Different Companions (Doctor Who), Travelling in the TARDIS (Doctor Who), University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 83,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23116327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessPersephone123/pseuds/PrincessPersephone123
Summary: Peter Parker thinks he has got it all together with his studies at his university, his life as a superhero and his relationship with Michelle.That is until a woman with an odd sense of fashion and incredible high standard of intelligence stumbles into his life as his new Professor.Who is this woman and can she be trusted?
Relationships: Doctor & Amy Pond, James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Original Doctor (Doctor Who)/Original Character(s), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 18
Kudos: 35
Collections: Best of Spider-Man, Doctor Who Fanfics, Marvel Fanfictions





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, 
> 
> So let me begin by saying I have no idea of what I'm doing but I'm just winging it! Probably shouldn't but I said it with a lot of confidence, so it'll work. Also, in the words of our nation's hero John Mulaney, you can go far in your life if you pretend like you know what you are doing. 
> 
> Also I'm still new to the Marvel Universe. So please forgive me for the mistakes I might make, I'm still learning. 
> 
> This incarnation of the Doctor comes after the Thirteenth Doctor and although I leave my readers to imagine my characters, I've imagined her as a combination of Jameela Jamil and Naomi Scott. Also the companions are inspired by Colin Morgan and Bradley James. 
> 
> And your comments and kudos are and will always be much appreciated.

"And behold, the eighth wonder of the galaxy, the stars of -" began the Doctor as she stepped out of the TARDIS into the concrete jungle of buildings and people rushing past her without noticing that a small blue police box had just materialized near them. The Doctor looked at where they were and sighed in disappointment and disgust as the memories that she had tried to run away from resurfaced "Brooklyn. New York."

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Ben as he stepped out of the TARDIS hand in hand with his husband James who grinned "I've always wanted to come to New York." 

"Well here we are. Now let's go." said the Doctor, not wanting to stay any longer in the city that took her irreplaceable companions, her family, Amy and Rory from her. 

"Come on, Doctor. What's the harm in staying and sightseeing?" asked Ben pleadingly with his puppy eyes and the Doctor could never resist those puppy eyes "Please?" 

"Alright! Just one hour, that's all, one hour is all you get!" said the Doctor giving up as she walked alongside with the cheerful couple who chattered happily looking around Brooklyn when James nudged her discretely.

"You alright?" asked James worriedly. 

"Of course, I'm alright." said the Doctor faking a big smile "Now come on you two, let's go see some sights -" 

But whatever she wanted to see was drowned by Ben dragging James towards a crowd gathered around someone and the Doctor yelled in exasperation as she followed them "Don't wander off! That's the one rule you are supposed to keep to! Why -" 

"Spiderman! Spiderman! Once again you saved the city!" screamed a reporter, nearly deafening the Doctor who was wearing her sonic sunglasses to avoid been blinded by the flashes of the cameras. 

"Spiderman, how did you manage to take on three deadly assassins and save the mayor?" asked another reporter who was desperate for Spiderman's attention and Spiderman seemed not to know who to answer first. 

"Oh nice. We just didn't land in New York, we landed ourselves a superhero too." said the Doctor as she looked admiringly at Spiderman's spandex red and blue outfit "Blimey, I'd like a red and blue outfit." 

Ben groaned and James shook his head "No. The outfit you have on right now is an eye sore. It's absolutely ridiculous. We are not letting you wear red and blue!" 

"What's wrong with a peach polka dot hammer pants?" asked the Doctor offended as she looked at her pants and then at her friends who shook their heads at her. 

"Can we take a picture with him?" asked Ben excitedly clinging onto the Doctor's arm but then they noticed that Spiderman had gone. 

"Oh well, can't blame him for wanting him to get out of here." said James empathetically but he was still cheerful "I still can't believe we got to see Spiderman in person! It's so cool!"

"You're such a child!" reprimanded the Doctor shaking her head at James with a fond smile. 

"Says the woman who spent all her money on buying cotton candy and churros at Disney Land." retorted James rolling his eyes at the girl in the body of an ancient old woman with a deceivingly young appearance. 

"Hey what's the use of going to Disney Land if I'm not going to eat all the cotton candy and churros!" asked the Doctor as she bumped into a handsome man who frowned at her and she apologized and walked along with her companions. "And the rides were fun, wasn't it?" 

"You were screaming most of the time and you were holding onto my hand." laughed Ben as the Doctor began sulking at how Ben and James were making fun of her and laughing at her. 

"Oh, it's make fun of the Doctor Day, is it?" asked the Doctor rolling her eyes at Ben and James but her lips were twitching in amusement as she took her screwdriver and scanned the area out of habit and then her eyes narrowed as she followed where the readings were leading her. 

"Doctor, what is it?" asked Ben annoyed that their sight seeing trip was cut short by the Doctor's curiosity. 

"Oh, this is not good. No, no - I am not being curious. Am I curious about the very bad readings in my sonic screwdriver?" asked the Doctor firmly talking to herself while Ben and James exchanged glances "No, I am not. And what I am not doing is following these readings to their location which is definitely not -

"The New York University." said Ben looking at the beautiful and magnificent institution that stood before them in all of its glory. 

"Doctor, what are we doing here?" asked James after a moment of awed silence as the three of them looked at the New York University. 

The Doctor looked at James and Ben with a mischievous smile that they knew would lead them to no good "Ben, James, how would you like to go back to college?"


	2. Chapter 2

Peter Parker groans as he bangs his head on his desk. The coffee lays on his table, it's steaming hot but he doesn't care enough to drink it. Right now, he has a very bad headache, probably from the concussion he got from yesterday when that assassin hit him and the wound in his stomach wasn't helping him either. Aunt May was sweet, tending to his wounds but it still hurt him. He looks at the clock and sees that the Professor is five minutes late. He frowns because his usual Professor is never late and learns from the chatter around him that there is a new Professor for this class. Actually, two new Professors in the university, one was a wild and wacky yet wickedly charming woman and the other was a handsome and kind man that the girls swooned over. Peter didn't really care. He had to attend the ceremony today where the mayor would hand him the key to the city then have dinner with Aunt May then phone MJ and see how she was doing. Thinking of MJ made Peter smile in love. He really loved MJ and he really thought when she went off to Yale that they could make it work but these days, it was getting harder and harder because they hadn't seen each other. But Peter still had faith in them, in their love for each other and he was positive that they could make it through a long distance relationship. 

He takes a sip of his coffee when the new Professor bursts in through the door. He is blinded by the wild array of wacky and eccentric colored coat she is wearing from purple, ocean blue, dark black, pretty pink, sunset orange, sinful red, forest green to warm yellow that blend in together, in swirling beautiful weird patterns. She wears dark brown patched pants and heavy ankle boots. Unlike other women in New York, she is devoid of any make up except a slight hint of red on her lips, her skin is tanned and brown, her dark hair is long and loose and her fingers are adorned with different shiny rings that don't make sense to Peter except the golden band on her ring finger that signifies to him that she is married. He decides right then, that she does not fit in the stereotype of a normal boring Professor and that she was someone new, someone who clearly did not know who a Professor was. 

"Good morning, class!" exclaimed the woman, clapping her hands together with a wide smile, a dimple showing on her right cheek "How are you feeling today? What's up? What's happening? Is that what the kids today say?" 

She was greeted by silence and small chuckles and she shook her head and proceeded "Never mind. Let's get onto the lesson. Firstly I am the Doctor and I have only three rules. Don't ask stupid questions, don't wander off and don't get late. The last one is very important. I'm very specific about time. You should be writing this down. Why aren't anyone of you writing this down?" 

Everyone quickly scrambled to get their pens and books out of their bags and Peter started writing the three rules down even though he thought it was really silly and he voiced his opinion "You were five minutes late, um - Professor - Doctor." 

"What's your name?" asked the Doctor as she looked the baby faced boy a few rows behind. 

"Parker. Peter. I mean - Peter Parker." said Peter feeling horribly embarrassed at how he couldn't even introduce himself properly.

"Well then, Parker Peter Peter Parker, you should add a new footnote to the third rule where time is not the boss of me." said the Doctor knowingly with a friendly grin and Peter was very surprised that she wasn't offended at all. In fact, she looked amused. "Any questions?" 

"Yes. Why is your coat so weird?" asked a boy in the front who was sniggering. 

"OI! I borrowed this coat from my mate Joseph that was given to him from his father Jacob. Joseph was Jacob's favorite. Don't tell." said the Doctor making a shushing gesture and Peter's eyebrows raised in curiosity as he wondered whether the woman could understand half of the things that were coming out of her mouth. Did she just make a biblical reference that wasn't a reference at all? He stared at her mind boggled as she continued "So let's see if you lot know the basics. Let's see what you know." 

"Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity coming from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were bought near each other?" asked the Doctor remembering the time that she had asked the same question except that time she was a very foxy man. 

Peter put his hand up wondering why on earth his Professor was asking such a simple question and the Doctor's eyes brightened "Yes, Parker Peter!" 

Peter internally groaned knowing that it was now a nickname that would stick "They repel each other because they have the same charge." 

"Correctumundo!" exclaimed the Doctor in approval and then shook her head at herself for repeating her mistake again "A word I used before but hopefully I never will use again." 

"Alright another question. Just a small, simple question that I solved when I was three years old." said the Doctor cleverly as she paced around the class "When a moving car encounters a patch of ice the brakes are applied. Why is it desirable to keep the wheels rolling on the ice without locking up?" 

This time several people put their hands up and Peter was among them but the Doctor gave a chance to a girl in the front who answered "Static friction is greater than kinetic friction. Static friction exists if the wheels keep rolling on the ice without locking up, resulting in maximum braking force. However, if the wheels lock up then kinetic friction takes over since there is relative slipping between wheel and ice. This reduces the braking force and the car takes longer to stop. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on a vehicle prevent the wheels from locking up when the brakes are applied, thus minimizing the amount of time it takes for the vehicle to reach a complete stop. Also, by preventing the wheels from locking up you have greater control of the vehicle." 

"Well, I can see that you know the basics. Simple enough, a child could solve these problems." said the Doctor with a grin at the class and she looked through the recommended texts, flipping through the pages of the books "Density, Energy, Force, Friction, Inclined Plane - boring, boring, dull, oh give me a break and a jammy dodger - Kinematics, Kinetic Energy, Mechanics, Momentum - I'm already dozing off - Pulleys, Statics - Thermodynamics, do you know I once did an interesting experiment on this with River, details highly classified - Torque - boring!" 

Peter had never seen a Professor treat the syllabus that way and he watched with surprise as the Doctor put the book down and looked at them with utter boredom and a smile making its way to her face "Now be honest with me, how many of you actually know the syllabus?" 

Everyone's hands shot up into the air with smirks at having defeated the new Professor and Peter put his hand up as well. There was nothing new that the college was teaching him, what he knew he had already learned from books and Tony Stark and his innovation. There was no creativity, no experimentation, no innovation in class. It was dull and boring and it was always done by the book. 

"Well, then I see no point in teaching it all over again to you." said the Doctor shrugging and rolling her eyes at the smug students. 

The students got up to leave the class but the Doctor's loud and clear voice made them sit down at once "Hang on! I did not say class was dismissed. I'm not done with you all yet." 

"Professor, you just said you see no point in teaching us." said a boy rolling his eyes at the Doctor. 

"What's your name?" asked the Doctor as she looked at the boy. 

"Harry." 

"Well, Harry. If you want a career in science or technology, you have to pay attention to the details." said the Doctor ruffling Harry's hair as she made her way through the class "I didn't say there was no point teaching you. I said there was no point in teaching you everything you know all over again. So therefore, the point I'm making is, I will teach you something new." 

Peter's interest was renewed as he sat straight in his seat and looked at the Doctor with a smile "Like what?" 

"Anything fascinating. Anything incredible. Quantum science. Rocket Science. Whatever you want. I'll tell you what. Each of you, next week, decide a new topic that you want me to teach you about and hand it over to me. Over the course of this semester, I will teach it to you." said the Doctor in excitement as she grinned at them "This is science, come on be more excited! This is about new discoveries! And you will not be graded on exams." 

"What?" exclaimed almost everyone in the class. 

"Yes, exams are boring. Don't know why they were invented." said the Doctor with a shrug as she looked at the piece of paper and put it down on a desk "Instead you will be graded on a project design." 

"A project design?" asked a boy a little faintly "What kind of design?" 

"Your choice. My only condition, it shouldn't be a weapon." said the Doctor in a very firm voice that everyone felt it was best to be obeyed "It should be a technological marvel of your own creation and authenticity that can contribute to the progress of the world." 

"I'm in!" said Peter excitedly before anyone else could say anything.

"Alright Parker Peter!" exclaimed the Doctor snapping her fingers at him with a grin "I'm loving the enthusiasm! I'm expecting more energy, more enthusiasm in the next class!" 

"Doctor!" spoke up Peter looking at the mad woman who seemed to love science as much as he did "I've decided the topic I want to explore next week!" 

"Great, let's hear it!" 

"Time Travel!" said Peter Parker resolutely and just after a moment everyone started laughing at the ridiculousness of his idea. 

But the Doctor was beaming with joy at Peter and nodded in approval "Wonderful idea, Mr. Parker. Everyone, I want you to read up on everything there is on time travel and come up with your own ideas! Next week, we're exploring time travel tomorrow. Class dismissed."


	3. Chapter 3

"We've got a new Professor." said Peter amidst the mouthfuls of cereal as he shoves them quickly down his mouth while reading a paper on time travel "She's really nice and interesting. A bit wacky and weird but she is really enthusiastic about science." 

"She sounds wonderful!" said Aunt May as she puts down the pile of pancakes dripping with maple syrup in front of Peter who was more energetic than she had seen him in a long time. "I suppose she must be a good teacher to get the interest of your clever head." 

"Yeah, she doesn't follow the syllabus like the other boring Professors." replied Peter as he read up on another paper coming up with new theories and scribbling them down because he really wanted to impress this new Professor and show her that he had potential. Even though he didn't know why. "Funny thing is I don't even know her name." 

"Really? She didn't introduce herself?" asked Aunt May quizzically and curiously. 

"Just the Doctor." replied Peter hurriedly as he finished his cereal and picked up his papers and stuffed them to his bag. "But Doctor Who?" 

"Why don't you ask her?" asked Aunt May with a smile but her smile vanished when she saw that Peter hadn't eaten the pancakes "Oh sweetie, you have to eat the pancakes!" 

"I can't Aunt May, I'm late for a very important lecture. I'll see you soon, yeah!" said Peter with a smile as he kissed Aunt May's cheek and rushed out of the apartment. 

"Stay safe." said Aunt May with a small and caring smile as she held back a worried sigh for her nephew. 

* * *

"Good morning, pretty boy, would you be a dear and put more chocolate sauce on my waffles?" asked the Doctor with a wide smirk as she looked at Ben who was serving them breakfast in the NYU Canteen. 

"I Hate You. I Hate You. I Hate You." said Ben emphasizing every word as he glared at the Doctor who was holding back her laughter.

"No, you don't." said the Doctor and then raised her eyebrows at Ben "Would you mind serving more bacon, please?" 

"You know you can shove your bacon up your mouth and choke -" began Ben violently, the threats that had been on his mind ever since the Doctor had proposed for him to disguise as a server in the canteen but then quickly changed his words when he saw his supervisor walking nearby " - on the goodness of a healthy and happy breakfast this morning, madam!" 

"Why thank you, good sir." said the Doctor with a chuckle as she saluted Ben and took his tray and made her way towards an empty table in the canteen and started eating her breakfast. She was soon joined by James. 

"On the scale of 1 - 10, how badly do you think my husband wants to kill us both right now?" asked James as he sat down at the Doctor's table and started digging into his breakfast. 

Both of them looked at Ben who glared at them so fiercely that it could burn down empires and then looked at each other and gulped in fear "He's going to kill us." 

"Well once of us can regenerate, so you're a dead man." said the Doctor with a smirk and this time it was James that glared at her. 

They sank into a comfortable silence as they ate and James asked "So what have you discovered so far?" 

"Nothing unusual. Well, there are some very strange readings that have been generated from New York but the location is in NYU." said the Doctor in a low voice, appearing calm and casual "The energy levels are alien and high. But what? Why are all the readings in New York leading here?"

"Do you think something is going to happen?" asked James quietly and curiously. 

"Something always happens. I just want to find out what before it happens." said the Doctor as she chewed on a piece of bacon. "The TARDIS bought us here for a reason and I intend to find out what." 

"I haven't found out anything and neither has Ben but we will tell you if we do." said James with a smile and the Doctor smiled back at him.

"Keep an eye out for anything unusual, out of place. Something that is alien." said the Doctor as she licked the chocolate sauce from her fingers. 

"I travel with my husband with an alien idiot who has no sense of fashion in a box that's bigger on the inside through all of space and time." said James with a smirk as he raised his eyebrows "I think I can spot an alien easily." 

"Shut up." 

"It's nice to see you take an interest in normal life though." said James with a laugh, because last night the Doctor had been childish and petulant jumping and ranting how she couldn't stay in one place and Ben had lost his temper and told the Doctor to get lost, so the Doctor had taken the TARDIS out for a spin and then taken a long walk out in New York. It was funny and interesting to see how the Doctor could never stay still and how the thought of settling down was terrifying to her. "It's so refreshing to see you settle down and lead a normal life." 

"It's just one day of teaching a bunch of students." said the Doctor leaning on her chair as she adjusted her coat, knowing where James was going "I just spoke to them about science." 

"And made your usual impact with your charm and intelligence." said James knowingly with a teasing twinkle in his eyes

"No, no, no impact at all." said the Doctor shaking her head at James. "This is going to be over soon." 

"You can't help yourself, Doctor. It's what you do." said James with a grin as he continued not seeing the Doctor roll her eyes "Every student in the campus is talking about the mysterious Professor who turned up out of nowhere and gave the most interesting and intelligent lecture that they had ever heard in years! They love you!" 

"Oh come on, Doctor. Admit it, it's the same story all over again, every single time." said James as he ate his pancakes dripping with maple syrup "You make them curious and interested in you with just two words." 

"When this is all over, I'll fly off in my box and they won't be able to find me or even remember me!" exclaimed the Doctor exasperated by James' banter wishing that Ben would come and kill his husband now "And what two words?" 

James smiled at someone behind the Doctor and the Doctor turned to see Ben smile playfully as he asked "Doctor Who?" 


	4. Chapter 4

"Time Travel." stated the Doctor as she wrote those very words on the black board she had insisted Ben to push into the classroom for her "Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Thoughts?" 

Peter looked at his Professor today. She had arrived early on time today and she had nodded in a friendly manner at him when she entered the class with a janitor who seemed to be friends with her. A friend who seemed to glare at her a lot. Today the Doctor was more weirder and eccentric than yesterday. Her hair was still dark loose and long and her lips were still red but her clothes seemed to have progressed from bad fashion faux pas into crimes of fashion. She wore a blue, yellow, orange and pink patched up denim jacket over her red dress and purple glitter sneakers that had unicorns on them. Peter wondered whether the Doctor wore these clothes on purpose to prank and shock them or whether she was just weird and quirky. Either way, she looked ready to teach and she was expecting them to learn. 

"What do you think?" asked the Doctor who was looking at the students hopefully. 

"Maybe we should start by defining time travel." said Harry who raised his hand and the Doctor nodded "Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine."

"Well, impressive." said the Doctor nodding at Harry who looked pleased but then smirked "Hypothetical?" 

"Well, yes." said Harry, taken aback "You can't expect us to believe that somewhere out there a time machine exists that can travel through all of time and space." 

The Doctor was trying to contain her laughter and sarcasm and even more, she was trying to stop herself from taking these gaggle of children into the TARDIS and showing them that time and space travel was not hypothetical, it was actually possible and she was living proof. It was hard to resist, very, very, hard. 

"It's a nice thought but it's scientifically impossible." said another girl shaking her head at the impossibility at it.

Peter couldn't keep his thoughts to himself any longer as he blurted out "Analyzing the stars were once thought scientifically impossible. But look at us now."

"Interesting reasoning, Mr. Parker. Perhaps, you'd like to enlighten the rest of us." said the Doctor with interest, pleasant surprise and curiosity evident in her eyes.

Peter felt the dislike in the eyes of other students and felt himself waver but when he looked at the Doctor, he felt brave as he spoke up "In the book 'The Positive Philosophy' written by the French Philosopher Auguste Comte in 1842, he wrote about the stars. He wrote and I quote 'We can never learn their internal constitution, nor, in regard to some of them, how heat is absorbed by their atmosphere'. He said something similar about the planets, saying that we can never know anything of their chemical or mineralogical structure; and much less, that of organized beings living on their surface."

When Peter finished, he felt like someone new, someone who was brave and inspired and when he looked at the Doctor, the Doctor was smiling approvingly at him "Bold reasoning. And it's true what he said. Auguste Comte was a bit of a pessimist. I met him once and I said - Auguste, you are wrong, you wait and see the human race will learn about the stars, they will do more than just learn, they will explore and spread out among the universe. But he never listened that old goat." 

Peter raised his eyebrows quizzically at the Doctor wondering what she was talking about but she continued "Comte's argument was that the stars and planets are so far away as to be beyond the limits of everything but our sense of sight and geometry. He reasoned that, while we could work out their distance, their motion and their mass, nothing more could be realistically discerned and discovered. He thought there was no way to chemically analyse them."

The Doctor had drawn the stars and planets with their distance, motion and mass on the blackboard and Peter, just like every student, found himself fascinated by the way she talked as if she was spurning a story "But ironically, the discovery that would prove Comte wrong had already been made. In the early 19th century, William Hyde Wollaston - I shook his hand once, it was wet as a fish - and Joseph von Fraunhofer - the name's a mouthful, just called him Jo Rabbit - independently - well, history says independently, I helped a little bit - discovered that the spectrum of the Sun contained a great many dark lines." 

"By 1859, these had been shown to be atomic absorption lines." said the Doctor as she faced the students with a smile "Each chemical element present in the Sun could be identified by analyzing this pattern of lines, making it possible to discover just what a star is made of. And that was just the beginning."

The class was silent as the Doctor looked at them for what seemed like a long time and smiled as if she knew a joke that only she knew the punchline to "Human beings. You always think things are impossible. But you never take time to think that maybe it's possible." 

"Mr. Parker just showed us an example of what we, centuries ago thought was impossible but today is normal." said the Doctor, smiling at Peter making him feel warm and bright and better. "So many things, space flight, air travel, television, cars, computers, all these technological and scientific marvels were thought impossible but today we take them for granted. And that's why we're here in this class. That's why you're here in this class. To dream of the impossible and discover the magnificent. To make those wonderfully impossible creations possible so that humanity will progress for the better." 

Her words bought out inspiration and motivation in Peter that had been gone for a long time since Tony's death. Since Tony's death, Peter felt a part of him was torn apart. That inspiration within him to create was there but Peter could never get it going. But hearing and seeing this incredible woman speak, Peter felt that he was here for a reason. She was right. He was the change. He had the power to make the impossible happen and it was all within his mind to do so. 

"Now, what's time?" asked the Doctor as she pointed at another boy who Peter recognized as David. 

"Um - twenty four hours." answered David uncertainly. 

"Who the hell told you that?" asked the Doctor looking really puzzled as she looked at David "That's rubbish. What are they teaching you at schools these days?" 

"Time is as long as you want it to be or short as you define it to be. Time is not linear. It's a really a ball of confusing wibbly wobbly timey wimey." said the Doctor flapping her hands about as she looked at her very confused students. 

"Are we supposed to understand anything you're saying?" asked Parvati who frowned at the Doctor who was mysterious and complex and out of the box "You're not making any sense, Professor." 

"Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." replied the Doctor smartly, sassily and confidently making Peter snort in amused laughter and then he clapped his hand over his mouth when a few students looked over at him. 

"Time doesn't pass. Time never passes." said the Doctor as she erased the blackboard with the sleeve of her coat and she recalled a lecture that she had given a long, long, long time back as a grumpy old Scottish man "The passage of time is an illusion and life is the magician. Because life only lets you see one day at a time." 

"You remember being alive yesterday and you hope you're going to be alive tomorrow. So it feels like you're traveling from one to another." said the Doctor as she drew a very linear chart of a stick figure and then crossed it all off as she smiled at them "But the truth is, nobody is moving anywhere. You are just convincing yourself you are moving because the reality of staying in the same place is terrifying. Because the truth is we want to run away from what happened before and convince ourselves that we are moving forwards." 

Peter swallowed as he took in a deep breath, feeling like the Doctor was talking personally to him because that was how he felt about Tony's death. He wanted to convince himself that he was starting a new life and moving forward but somehow here was a mad woman that was telling him that time didn't pass. That he was still stuck. And the worse thing of all was, Peter believed her. 

"Time is just a bunch of frozen moments. But if you experience those moments one after the other, then everything unfreezes and comes alive." said the Doctor looking at her enraptured and captivated students. 

"Just imagine if all of your life happened all at once." said the Doctor in her captivating voice that held everyone spellbound and Peter listened to her and he couldn't remember the last time that he had been so interested in a lecture given by a Professor "All of the moments of your life laid out around you like a city. Just imagine it! What would it look like?" 

"Streets full of buildings made of days. The day you were born. The day you die." said the Doctor as she walked through the classroom with a smile dancing on her face "The day you fall in love. The you lose the ones you love. The day you find the people you lost, against all odds. The day you win a lottery ticket and a free trip to Disney land!"

Peter chuckles along with some students in the class but they are still in awe of the Doctor as they listen to her "A whole city built on love and loss, joy and sorrow, triumph and defeat, birth and death!"

"It's the best place you will ever be! It's the best place you can be in!" said the Doctor with an excited expression as she passed Peter who smiled at her 

"Time is a structure relative to ourselves. Time is the space made by our lives, defined by our choices, where all of us stand together forever." said the Doctor in a quiet but awe inspiring voice as she made her way back to the black board.

She picked up the blue piece of chalk and started writing as she emphasized every word and underlined it "Time And Relative Dimension In Space." 

Then the Doctor looked at her students wisely and knowingly as she concluded "It means life." 

There was silence for what seemed like a long time where the students contemplated what they learned and then the Doctor spoke up "Alright, I want your essays on Time Travel, Theories, Paradoxes and Possibilities by the next class. I do not want them late, I'm very specific about that - I don't care if someone if dying of the coronavirus - the only reason you should be late to turn your paper in is because you were reading about the coronavirus and you got hit by the bus. Is that clear? Parvati, please stop grumbling about the essay, it isn't really that bad if you exercise your brain. And I'll see you at the next class. Now go!" 

Peter gathered his things and he was about to leave when he wondered whether he should show her the paper he had done on multiverses when the Doctor's voice called him out "Mr. Parker. Floundering is worse than wandering off. How may I help you?" 

"Oh yeah." said Peter relieved and surprised that she had noticed and then he realized that he was the only one in the class and suddenly he dropped his books and the papers scattered onto the ground. Peter cursed as he got down and started cleaning up the mess he had made when the Doctor got down and started helping Peter gather up his things. After everything was sorted out and put in his bag, Peter held on tightly to his paper on the multiverse and smiled at the Doctor. 

"I really like your lecture today." said Peter with a nervous smile, hoping to impress his new Professor "I think you're brilliant." 

"Thank you, Mr. Parker." said the Doctor with a brilliant and rather relieved smile "This is my second time at this job and to be honest I still don't know what I'm doing." 

"You're doing a great job." assured Peter quickly, hoping that this new Professor wasn't thinking of leaving "It was starting to get a little bit boring around here so I'm glad you are here. Time Travel was really fun to talk about." 

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" asked the Doctor with a childish grin that made Peter grin at her "So what do you think?" 

"About what?" asked Peter, taken aback and confused. 

"About time travel?" questioned the Doctor as she opened the briefcase that James had given her and insisted upon because every Professor has a briefcase and she had grown to like it and modified it by making it bigger on the inside. 

"I think one day if we're very lucky - it could be possible." said Peter thoughtfully and then shook his head "I'm sorry, I'm being silly." 

"What's wrong with silly?" asked the Doctor with a small and curious smile.

"Nothing. I'm talking to you, aren't I?" replied Peter boldly, and suddenly realizing what he had said to the Professor, he clapped his hand over his mouth and then he opened his mouth to apologize when the Doctor started laughing. 

"You're a brilliant kid, Peter Parker." said the Doctor with a warm smile that made Peter think of sunrises and blooming flowers "You're parents must be very proud of you." 

"Don't have any parents." said Peter with a tight smile, a flash of sadness in his eyes as she looked downcast "Just an aunt." 

The Doctor looked solemn and Peter hoped that she wasn't going to apologize but to his surprise she replied "I don't even have an aunt." 

Peter chuckled, at how his new Professor was definitely not like other people "That is so cool." 

"I know." said the Doctor with a grin but there was a strange look in her eyes that was gone before Peter could understand it. Then the Doctor's eyes flashed towards the papers that Peter was holding "What's that?" 

"Oh. It's an essay I wrote about the multiverse theory and I was hoping that you could look it over and just tell me what you think." said Peter casually, hoping he sounded casual because his heart was beating fast. He liked this new Professor and he had a feeling that they were going to be good friends. And Peter wanted this new Professor to be his mentor. 

"Oh." said the Doctor in surprise as she took the essay from Peter and looked it over and then looked at Peter and Peter wondered whether she knew what he was thinking "Yes. I would like that, Mr. Parker." 

"Oh cool. I mean, it's no big deal." said Peter casually shrugging it off, but internally he was screaming with happiness. 

The Doctor's lips twitched with amusement as she looked at Peter thoughtfully "Do you like my lectures, Mr. Parker?" 

"Yes. I think its totally awesome! Everyone thinks its amazing." said Peter enthusiastically like an energetic puppy and the Doctor couldn't help but smile. 

"They think I'm bonkers, don't they?" stated the Doctor knowingly in amusement and Peter couldn't help but smile at the Doctor apologetically "You know, most students in my lectures, when they don't understand what I'm teaching they frown. You smile." 

Peter was taken aback in surprise wondering what to say but all he could do was smile like an idiot at his oddly eccentric intelligent Professor and say "So see you in the next class, Doctor."

The Doctor looked at Peter with a thoughtful smile and then called out to him "If you ever get less than a first, then consider it over." 

"Consider what over?" asked Peter in confusion as he turned to look at the Doctor who was walking towards him with her briefcase. 

"My personal tutelage, Mr. Parker." said the Doctor with a knowing smile as she looked at Peter who was looking at her in awe and wonder "I will be your personal tutor in your education through your first year in this dump that calls itself an esteemed science faculty since there is no one else qualified enough or intelligent enough to nurture and keep up with that brilliant brain of yours." 

"You want to mentor me?" asked Peter taken aback in disbelief and pure surprise. 

"Yes. Tutor, mentor, both the same words." said the Doctor, impatiently waiting for an answer "Is it a yes or no?" 

"Yes! Oh my god, yes!" said Peter jumping up and down in excitement at being tutored by this intelligent and awesome woman. 

"Good. We'll sort out the days later." said the Doctor feeling a strange sense of warmth at seeing the child smile happily "Stick to my three rules and I'm sure we'll get along fine." 

"Thank you so much Professor!" exclaimed Peter happily as he grinned at the Doctor "I promise you, you won't regret this!"


	5. Chapter 5

"So to sum it up we still haven't found whatever it is that we're supposed to find and you've got a soft spot for the Parker boy." said Ben as he threw darts at the dartboard while James took a big gulp of beer.

"Well, yes." said the Doctor as she watched the married couple fondly snog each other and rolled her eyes affectionately at them "Really? Is now the time?"

"Shouldn't you be out of the TARDIS, Doctor?" asked James with a grin as he put his arm around Ben "Peter is going to be here any moment now for his extra class with you."

"Yes. The extra class that you offered. The tutor that you offered to be for him." said Ben knowingly emphasizing on the word 'You' as the Doctor rushed around the console, making sure that his Old Girl was well taken care of. "If I didn't know any better, I'll say you're fond of the boy."

"Then it's a good thing you don't know better." said the Doctor as she activated the scanner and checked all records of Peter Parker. It's not that she was intruding. No, she just wanted to know why the boy had a heavy bruise on his forehead or why he was limping when he came to class or why his eyes were so sad and wistful and would sometimes stare into the distance. The Doctor was definitely not getting attached to the boy. She despised New York, everything in it reminded her of who she had lost and she couldn't wait to get away from it again. But Peter Parker was a good kid with a clever mind and he wasn't all that bad. But the Doctor was definitely not attached enough to stay in New York for him.

Normally, a general scanner wouldn't be able to access classified files but files accessing Peter Parker was easily taken by the TARDIS that accessed all the SHIELD files, sensitive and classified files, files on Peter Parker at high school and university, and files on Peter Parker at Stark Industries. The Doctor's curiosity was aroused as to what the hell was so sensitive and classified about Peter Parker and why SHIELD had files on Peter Parker but something in her made her access the files on Peter Parker at Stark Industries. She was greeted by the facts that Peter Parker had been one of the top interns at the Stark Industries and even taken a few field trips to Stark Industries. During his time at Stark Industries, he was renowned for his brilliant but functional inventions that were mind blowing and creative technological marvels. As the Doctor explored more of Peter's inventions, she smiled and confirmed that she was right about one thing. The kid would change the world. As she scanned the information given to her by the Stark Industries files, she came across a set of pictures where Peter and Tony were smiling and posing together in silly and funny ways on the day of his Stark Internship graduation. The pictures made the Doctor smile because Peter and Tony looked a lot like son and father, and the Doctor who knew Tony saw that Tony had become a better man than his father had. The pictures made the Doctor feel very old as tears pricked the Doctor's brown eyes at seeing Tony so happy and now dwelling in the knowledge that Tony was dead.

She had known Tony. She had known Tony ever since he was a child with nightmares and an abusive father. Tony had even traveled with her for a while. She had visited Tony a couple of times. She had also known that Tony's death would be a fixed point in time and there would be nothing she could do to save him even it was something she really wanted to do.

Oh, the burden of being a Timelord.

"Doctor, are you alright?" asked Ben, who saw how the Doctor's smart and sassy expression had disappeared and now been replaced to sad and alone.

"Perfectly fine, thank you, Benjamin." said the Doctor with a sigh as he looked at Tony and Peter in the picture, the picture perfectly preserving their happiness in that frozen moment.

"You only call me Benjamin when you're worried." said Ben in concern and worry as he climbed up the steps of the TARDIS that had turned from a cheery sunrise orange to a moody blue.

The Doctor managed to smile at Ben and turned off the scanner "I'm fine, Ben."

"So are you going to admit that you care about Peter Parker?" asked James changing the subject because he knew the Doctor needed a change of mind.

"No." said the Doctor firmly because she certainly didn't care about the brilliant and wonderful boy who was too pure for the world "I'm just tutoring him."

"Doctor, just admit it. You were in admiration about how amazing his essay on multiverse theory was and how clever and brilliant his mind is!" said Ben as he took the Doctor's arm and looked at her knowingly.

"And you literally told us that if anything happened to Peter, you would kill us, everyone, and then yourself." said James smirking at the Doctor, infuriating her.

The Doctor tossed her sonic screwdriver several times as she rolled her eyes at the annoying married couple "I am just tutoring him because his brilliant mind needs guidance that this university is not providing. I am just his Professor who sees his potential to change the world for better."

"So that's it then?" asked Ben looking at the Doctor with an expression that screamed that he knew better than the Doctor "You're just being kind?" 

"Yes. Just that." said the Doctor as she smiled innocently at Ben. 

"Okay. We believe you." said Ben with a smile that indicated that he did not believe the Doctor at all. 

"Now you two shush and stay in the TARDIS." said the Doctor annoyed by Ben and James who were wearing equally knowing smirks that the Doctor hated as he opened the doors of his TARDIS and he heard Ben purr seductively.

"Oh, we'll do more than just stay Doctor." and it was followed by a happy laugh.

The Doctor groaned as she shut the door of his TARDIS and stepped into her university office "Not in my ship! Married couples! What is it with them and kissing?"

At that very moment, there was a knock on the door and the Doctor answered it as she opened the door and saw Peter Parker standing outside "Yes, hello Parker Peter."

Peter Parker entered the Doctor's office nervously "Um - hello Doctor. Am I on time?"

"That's a very good question." said the Doctor as she smiled at him and he found himself feeling comfortable and less nervous "Parker Peter, you are on time."

"Good. I wanted to make a good first impression." said Peter honestly and then under the curious expression of his Professor, he flushed "I mean - first impressions last, don't they?"

"Do they? I don't know. I mean - I haven't made very good first impressions on many people but they ended up being my friends. One of them ended up marrying me." said the Doctor thoughtfully and then shrugged "Let's start. Your essay -"

But she noticed that Peter wasn't paying attention because his attention was towards a blue box that was parked in the corner of the room. The Doctor sincerely hoped that James and Ben would not come stumbling out of the box snogging breathlessly giving a heart attack like they did last time to the Empress of Mars. 

"That's a box." said Peter pointing at the blue box that glowed beautifully in the evening light.

"Yes. Very well observed." said the Doctor rolling her eyes at Peter.

"It's a police box." said Peter in curiosity as he read the sign that stated "Police Telephone. Free for use of public. Advice and Assistance Obtainable Immediately.Officers & Cars Respond to All Calls. Pull To Open." Then Peter's eyes fell on a cardboard cutout that was plastered on the blue box that read out "Out of Order. Stay away humans!" 

"Why do you have an out of order police box here?" asked Peter curiously as he looked at the Doctor who was looking fondly at the box. 

"I like blue police boxes and this one struck my fancy." replied the Doctor with her quick wit as she watched Peter look at her TARDIS in awe and wonder. 

"And Scotland Yard just let you borrow it?" asked Peter sarcastically with an amused laugh as he looked at the Doctor who he couldn't figure out. 

"Yes. I borrowed it but do not worry, Mr. Parker. I have every intention of returning it back to Scotland Yard." said the Doctor with a wide smile and then her smile turned thoughtful and wistful "Possibly. Probably. Maybe." 

"How did you get a police box in your office?" asked Peter who had so many questions that did not concern science. 

"I parked it." replied the Doctor, puzzling Peter even more than he was before. 

"How on earth - what do you mean you parked it?" asked Peter in absolute confusion and the Doctor hid her amused laughter at how confused Peter was. 

"I mean, I parked it. Do keep up, Mr. Parker." said the Doctor as she enjoyed the bewildered expression on Peter's face and decided to move on before he asked any more questions "I read your essay on the multiverse theory." 

"Oh." said Peter sitting up straight in interest and anticipation as he looked nervously at the Doctor waiting for her verdict "What did you think?" 

"I think your essay on the multiverse theory is spectacular." said the Doctor with an approving smile as she put on the glasses she didn't need, the glasses that she had told made Amelia's noticeable lines around her eyes less noticeable. She smiled at the bittersweet memory of the Girl Who Waited asking the Last Centurion if she had noticeable lines under her eyes and the fearless Centurion crumbling in fear as he stammered that he specifically remembered not noticing them while the Doctor said yes, yes she did have noticeable lines under her eyes. 

She hadn't realized it but she was smiling at the memory and Peter was looking at her curiously, wondering if she was alright because she seemed so far away "Professor? Doctor? Are you alright?" 

_The Doctor leans towards Amy as her scent of sharp cinnamon and honey wafts through the air and he asks with a hint of excitement "Can I have a go?"_

_He doesn't need to specify what he is asking her, she knows immediately what he wants. That was the beauty of their friendship and the strength of their companionship. Amy could tell what he was thinking just with a glance at him._

_The Doctor puts on her glasses and picks up the book with a laugh and hears her happy laugh echo through the Central Park "Oh. Actually that is much better. That is exciting!_

_"Read to me." she says as they lean their backs to each other, comfortable in each other's companionship, secure in the knowledge that no matter what they will always be there for each other._

_The Doctor smiles at Amy, a little bit puzzled and amused "I thought you didn't like my reading aloud."_

_"Shut up and read me a story!" replies Amy sassily, her Scottish accent ever so strong with a smile as her ginger hair flirts with the breeze "Just don't go "Yowzah!"_

_The Doctor laughs in amusement, feeling content and happy as he starts reading to the Girl Who Waited For Him._

_His Best Friend, Glorious Amy Pond._

The Doctor came out of her thoughts and realized she had dived so deep into her memories that for one moment, she had thought she was living in them and she sighed and smiled at Peter "Apologies, Parker. A frozen moment." 

This is why the Doctor did not like being in New York. The scars she carried bled more deeply, the memories she held, she remembered more vividly and last night she swore she heard Amy and Rory's laughter fading into dust and gold. 

She couldn't wait to run away again. 

The Doctor cleared her throat "Where were we?" 

"The multiverse." answered Peter, feeling a little concerned for the Doctor who seemed to have gone into a trance but now was fine. 

The Doctor starts to explain what multiverse is to Peter and soon they are discussing multiverses and the possibilities of infinite universes, pocket universes, cosmic inflations, eternal chaotic inflations, quantum field theory, physical spaces, quantum tunnels, Big Bangs, and multiple types of multiverses. Peter feels free as if the bars of a cage that he had been imprisoned in had been broken and now he was running into a field of millions and millions of possibilities. When talking with the Doctor, it was like talking with someone who understood him better than anyone. The Doctor didn't make fun of him when Peter theorized that there could be multiple types of multiverses with different levels that were perhaps possible to travel to with the right scientific technology. Even though the Doctor mentioned changing Albert Einstein's hair and some of the things - actually half of the things the Doctor said didn't make sense to Peter, Peter still felt understood and nurtured by the Doctor who was educated and enlightened about science as he was and even more than he was. He had the strangest feeling that she had seen more than he and the most scientists and inventors had, in the way she spoke and described the universe to him. 

And just like him, she believed that there was more to the universe than anyone else saw. 

"But you know, some people don't believe in the multiverse like we do, Professor - um Doctor." said Peter earnestly and sincerely, making the Doctor smile as she listened "Like Mr. Davies who believes that to get multiverse, you need a universe - generating mechanism. He says "something that's going to make all those Big Bangs go bang! He says we are going to need laws of physics. All theories of the multiverse assume quantum physics to provide the element of spontaneity to make bangs happen."

"Like shooting a fez." said the Doctor under her breath glaring at River who was smiling at her from the picture that she kept on her desk. 

"What?" asked Peter who didn't hear her properly. 

"Nothing. So Big Bang! If you want to create a Big Bang, lock the most dangerous mad man in the universe in the most secure prison in the universe and then fly it into the infinitely exploding Time and Relative Dimension In Space to spread it across time to reset the universe using what exists of the original universe inside the secure prison to create the second Big Bang! And in it goes and explodes and Bang! The Universe is restored anew." 

_"You just remember and they'll be there."_

_"You won't."_

_"You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friend anymore."_

_"Amy Pond. Crying over me, eh? Guess what?"_

_"What?"_

_"Gotcha."_

"Has anyone told you that they sometimes don't understand what you're saying?" asked Peter trying to keep up with the Doctor's explanation of the Big Bang. 

"They never really stop." said the Doctor with a smirk as she looked at Peter who smiled at her as if he was trying to figure her out and then she got up and made her way to her collection of books to find a book to give Peter to read up and come to the next class. 

While the Doctor was searching for a good book, Peter looked around the office of his weird and wacky Professor that had become wildly popular around the campus. Besides the odd blue police box parked as a monument in the corner of the room, warm glowing sunlight poured through the wide windows that were open showing the grounds of the campus. The curtains were a violet blue that shimmered slightly in the sunlight. There were books and papers piled high up messily on the floor and on the book cases and her floor was wooden with splashes of blue paint, the same blue of the box. On her wall, were several paintings of prominent and famous artists from Van Gogh to Monet, several important sealed files stamped by the university lay on the floor. A modern ceramic sculpture of a unicorn that changed colors lay on her desk and Peter wondered whether that was a gift from a student. Several scientific instruments bubbling with purple and blue and green liquids huffing and puffing with gas lay on a lab desk and Peter was going to point out that it might be bad when the Doctor who was rummaging through her book collection said. 

"Oh, don't worry. It's meant to do that." 

Peter nodded as he looked around and saw a chandelier that was painted in different colors and a guitar that leaned against the wall. He had no idea that his Professor was a musician and he was surprised. 

"Oh yes, I play the guitar. That was actually a gift from my good friend Frank Sinatra after I sang a duet with him at a party hosted by Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood." said the Doctor still digging for a proper book, and Peter wondered whether the Doctor had eyes on the back of her head "Frank was head over heels for Marilyn, you know! I actually took them on a lovely trip to the Moon, Jupiter and Mars! That's how he wrote Fly Me To The Moon! Oh, what a night it was! But it ended with me getting accidentally married to Marilyn Monroe and that was the end of my friendship with Frank. I tried to explain, Frank, it was a misunderstanding but he wouldn't listen. You know, how men are." 

"How is marrying Marilyn Monroe an accident?" asked Peter after a long moment of silence because in all of that story, there was a lot of things he had to grasp and understand, the accidental marriage was the one thing he grasped onto. 

"Oh, it's a very long, complicated, timey wimey story." said the Doctor making a face at a book written by an author she did not like. "Maybe I'll tell it to you another day." 

Peter couldn't understand a thing that was coming out of his Professor's mouth. His Professor was telling him a story about how she had met and sung a duet with the famous Frank Sinatra and accidentally married the amazing Marilyn Monroe and traveled to the moon, Jupiter and Mars. It sounded like rubbish and nonsense and the logic in him wanted to reject it but something in him believed her. He believed that this strange woman had inspired Frank Sinatra to write one of his most wonderful songs and dive into a marriage in accident with Marilyn Monroe even though it was absolutely impossible. Peter found himself shaking his head at his impossible thoughts. 

Peter looked at the bunch of papers written by the students that the Doctor had corrected with great care lying on her desk and the pens and pencils in her pencil holder. There was a cold mug of tea, half drunk and a plate of fish fingers and custard that was untouched. Peter wouldn't have thought of her Professor as someone sentimental but on her desk just lay on picture. Peter who wanted to figure out who the Doctor was thought the picture might help and peered at the picture carefully guarded by the frame.

The first picture was of a young man with a very silly chin, twinkling emerald eyes and a childish expression wearing tweed jacket, idiotic bow tie and heavy boots that did not suit his age. This man was wearing a bright grin and a red fez as he had his arms around a woman with blinding auburn hair and a gorgeous smile who was laughing and a man with brown hair and a relaxed smile who was looking lovingly at the girl with the auburn hair.

The next picture showed the same man with the tweed jacket and the bowtie but this time he was smiling lovingly as he curled his arm around the waist of the lady with sinfully red lips and hair that looked like it was hit by a hurricane who was wearing a very gorgeous and sexy wedding dress as she loosening his bowtie while in the background the lady with auburn hair was chugging champagne like her life depended on it and the brown haired man who was wearing a tux was holding his wife, giving a protective glare at the man with the bowtie who was smiling as if his wife had hung the stars and moon.

The last picture was of all four of them, of the man in the bowtie and his space hair wife, the fiery red head lady and her patient and kind husband. They were all wearing ponchos and laughing. The auburn haired woman was laughing as she kissed the side of the head of the space haired lady fondly who seemed to be disgruntled but amused, the patient husband was looking at the poncho like he would like to rip it out but the man with the bow tie was absolutely enthusiastic about wearing it. They all seemed to be so happy with each other and Peter found himself wondering it would be like to be with them and he smiled at them wondering who they were. 

Perhaps they were her family. They all looked so happy. But where was the Doctor in all those pictures?

Maybe she didn't like taking pictures with her family. Maybe she was the photographer. 

Peter took out his phone and checked whether he had any messages from Michelle. 

None. 

He tried not to worry. After all, she was busy being clever and intelligent at Yale. He was definitely going to call her after he went home today. 

Aunt May had texted him about dinner. He scrolled through his texts and reluctantly asked Sam Wilson if he wanted any help with any of the cases he was solving with Bucky.

The reply came as soon as Peter had sent the text **"No thanks, kid."**

He knew what the reply would be but he hoped that this time it would be different.

_**"But I can help. Let me help, Mr. Wilson."**_

**"You're just going to get in the way. Stay out of this."**

_**"Fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted. I can be the friendly neighborhood spider-man. And besides, the new professor, she's cooler to hang out with than you."**_

The reply came almost instantaneously. 

**"Is she hot?"**

Peter got the urge to puke at the question as he made a face an texted back. 

_**"Eww. Gross."** _

**"Bucky wants to know. Not me!"**

Peter rolled his eyes at the childish comeback and texted back. 

_**"Bye."** _

At that moment, the Doctor appeared with a book and looked at Peter who was texting and narrowed her eyes "Are you using your mobile device?"

"Um no." answered Peter trying to put his phone away but the Doctor was too quick as she took the phone from Peter and it switched from texting to Twitter. 

"Were you on Twitter?" asked the Doctor emphasizing the last word with disgust and Peter realized that Twitter wasn't on his Professor's top favorite things. 

"Um no." replied Peter truthfully "I really wasn't tweeting. What makes you think I'm tweeting?" 

The Doctor raised her eyebrows and started reading one of Peter's tweets aloud making Peter groan as he buried his head in his hands "Today I asked a kindergartner if Friday was his favorite day of the week and his response was, 'I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. I'm confused all the time.' Same little man. Same. #LifeSucks" 

"Please don't read them out." groaned Peter in humiliation as he took his phone from the Doctor who was smirking because this was definitely not the first impression he had wished to make on the Doctor. 

"I'm getting slightly concerned about you." said the Doctor as she handed over a book to Peter who took it with a sigh of relief "Life sucks?"

"It's just a thing kids say these days." said Peter scrambling quickly for excuses "Life on Mars? This is a collection of poetry. I thought we were studying science." 

"Yes, poetry and science both are the same. Read that up and tell me what you feel. Not what you think." said the Doctor with a smile as she shrugged on her purple coat "Class is over. Now come on Parker Peter, I will walk you home." 

"What?" asked Peter, taken aback by surprise. "Professor, I'm perfectly capably of taking the subway home myself." 

"Ah, well. It's New York. Who knows what dangerous monsters could be lurking in these dark alleys waiting to hurt innocent children like you?" asked the Doctor as she opened the door for Peter who collecting his things. 

"Professor, today's class was awesome and I learned a lot. But trust me when I say that I can handle myself." said Peter firmly with a smile as he looked at the Doctor who wore an expression of concern and worry and he thought that it was sweet. 

"Yes. Well. You never know if a Dalek will exterminate you or a Cyberman will convert you or even worse a Weeping Angel will follow you and zap you into the past so no, Mr. Parker this is still part of the class, I'm taking you home." said the Doctor as she secretly made sure her sonic screwdriver was in her pocket and was unaware that Ben and James were grinning as they watched her fuss over the young boy from the TARDIS Scanner. 

"What? -" began Peter but the Doctor wasn't having it. 

"Don't argue with me, it makes me very cross." said the Doctor as she led the way and Peter followed thankful for her concern but still not needing her over protectiveness. 

They stepped into the street, the darkness illuminated by the light of the lamps and Peter fell into step with his new Professor as he looked at her curiously "Why are you walking me home? You don't need to walk me home. It's not in your duties. And besides, people will talk." 

"Do you always listen to what people talk to?" asked the Doctor as she looked around New York, alert and vigilant "What a boring life." 

"You still didn't answer my question." said Peter with a hint of a smile. 

"Well, New York is a dangerous place. Can't let you wander alone." said the Doctor, not looking at Peter and nodded at a woman who smiled at her. 

"And yet, how I've managed to grow up safely here most of my life without you is a wonder." replied Peter teasingly with a laugh. 

"Shut up." replied the Doctor but she was smiling but still the pool of anxiety in her stomach had not vanished. 

Peter looked at the Doctor for a moment and then asked her with a curious smile "Are you guarding me?" 

"Yes. Yes I am." said the Doctor with a brilliant smile that made Peter feel safe and special, and suddenly like he wasn't alone. 

"Okay." said Peter swallowing the lump of emotion that came to his throat at the thought of someone caring enough about him to protect him "But you're not exactly bodyguard material are you?"

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" asked the Doctor in confusion, seeing Peter's playful grin. 

"I saw you trip over a cone yesterday and then apologize to that cone." said Peter shaking his head at the Doctor who started spluttering "And then today, you fell up the stairs. How do you fall up the stairs? You have the coordination of a clumsy new born baby deer." 

"Baby deer are cool." said the Doctor as she adjusted her purple coat that Peter thought was quite regal and elegant "And appearances can be deceiving. If you meet any monster, just tell them you know the Doctor and you're under my protection." 

"Oh." said Peter rolling his eyes mockingly "And what will the monsters do?" 

"They will run away." said the Doctor in a voice that was serious and devoid of laughter and playfulness "Because I'm the woman who stops the monsters."

They stopped at a hot dog cart and got hot dogs for both of them and the Doctor started telling story of how she was there when hot dogs were invented by Charles Feltman at Coney Island and how she had helped out with selling the hot dogs at the hot dog stand. Then she went on to tell how she met Charles Feltman and why it was called a hot dog and Peter listened to her mad stories about how the hot dog stand had almost being sabotaged by a carnivorous alien that she had managed to stop. Peter knew aliens were real but listening to the Doctor talk was like listening to someone high on cocaine talking. She didn't make any sense and what she was saying was incredibly impossible and unbelievable but it was amusing and fun and she provided a good laugh to Peter who had been on the edge for a while. 

As they munched on their hot dogs in the subway, Peter looked at the Doctor "Can I ask you a personal question?" 

"No." replied the Doctor directly and quickly as she dived into her second hot dog. 

"Can I anyway, please?" asked Peter pleadingly, looking at the woman who was eating a hot dog topped with mashed potatoes, gravy and onions smeared on her nose. 

"Go ahead." said the Doctor, knowing that she couldn't stop him. 

"Doctor Who?" asked Peter curiously, blurting out the question that has been nagging him since the moment he had met her.

"Peter Who?" asked the Doctor, avoiding the question that was always hidden in plain sight. 

"You know, I'm Peter Parker." said Peter shaking his head in exasperation at the strange but funny woman sitting next to him in the subway earning strange looks from strangers "But I don't know your name. What's your name, Doctor?" 

"Just the Doctor." replied the Doctor, hoping he would leave it alone.

"Yes, but Doctor Who?" asked Peter curiously, wondering why the Doctor wouldn't tell him her name "Everyone has a name. Peter Parker, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark. What's your real name?" 

"My real name." said the Doctor reflectively, thinking of the secret that must never be told, the burden she must carry into her grave, the name that must never be spoken from her lips "Does it matter?" 

Peter looked at her as if she was mad, which in all fairness, she was "Of course it matters. Names are important. Names are how we know who people are. I mean - it's really weird that I'm eating hot dogs on the subway with a Professor whose name that I don't even know." 

"Joh - I mean - Jane Smith." answered the Doctor, with the first name that came to her head "My name is Jane Smith." 

"So Professor Jane Smith then?" said Peter with a satisfied smile, although he had a nagging feeling that the Doctor wasn't entirely telling him the truth. 

"No, just call me the Doctor." said the Doctor, shaking her head as she licked her fingers earning a few disgusted looks from people in the subway "I'm more comfortable with that." 

"Okay, Doctor." said Peter with a smile, nodding his head "Do you like New York so far?" 

The Doctor stopped for a moment as she thought about it and then looked at Peter as she replied bitterly "It's just a city. I don't think there's anything special about it." 

_Except the graves of the Ponds._

"The hot dogs are good." said Peter feeling a little disappointed that the Doctor wasn't impressed but then the Doctor wasn't like everyone "And then there's Spiderman."

"Oh yes." said the Doctor instantly brightening up at the topic of the superhero "The spiderboy. The one who saved the mayor from the three deadly assassins. I saw him on my first day in New York." 

"What did you think of him?" asked Peter hopefully as he looked at the Doctor, holding his breath, wanting to hear her opinion about Spiderman. About him. Because somehow, her opinion mattered to him in this short period of time that he knew her.

"His suit is impressive, it's pretty cool." said the Doctor, her eyes twinkling in playfulness and then she grew serious "I think he - Spiderman from what I've seen and read has a good heart and will break the ground he stands on to do the right thing. And trust me, Spiderman will be remembered for centuries." 

"Yeah?" asked Peter, his voice cracking in emotion, happiness and blinking back his tears. 

"Yeah. But I get the impression that he needs a break." said the Doctor who ignored the voice crack and the tears in Peter's eyes.

"Why do you say that?" asked Peter, raising his eyebrows at the Doctor in curiosity. 

"Because I get this terrible feeling, that from time to time, we're all breakable and fragile humans." replied the Doctor seriously and wisely as she looked at Peter. 

Peter was quiet for a moment and then asked "Even you?"

The Doctor huffed in laughter as she shook her head and looked at Peter knowingly "Even you, Peter Parker." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> I'm back with another chapter!
> 
> And yes, I absolutely believe that Amy and Rory organized a spectacular wedding for their only daughter and mad timelord and they were drunk through most of the ceremony!


	6. Chapter 6

Peter had come earlier to the Doctor's office before his normal tutoring lessons with the Doctor started. He had finished the essay given to him by the Doctor to write about how Quantum Physics explains the difference between reality and fantasy. He liked the topics the Doctor gave for him to explore and discover. They were new and they broadened his horizons and he learned something cool and different everyday. He had no place to be today, crime had been strangely absent in New York today and since there were hours left for dinner with Aunt May, he decided to come early and see if the Doctor was free to tutor him. The Doctor was free but she was in a thoughtful mood as she instructed him that they would start the class in a while, when she wanted to so Peter decided to take out the mystery thriller novel that he had been reading and he began from where he had stopped. It was almost ending and it was beautiful and saddening. As Peter read the book, the Doctor had taken her guitar and was strumming the strings absentmindedly as she looked out of the windows, engrossed in thought. 

Something about the music was sad and haunting and it made Peter stop reading for a moment and just listen. It was comfortable, staying here and sitting in the music that started out sad and haunting but ascended into a promise of majestic madness, impossible feats and strong companionship. The music that came from the guitar sounded old and new, endless and ageless, optimistic and childish yet there was tugging at Peter's heart because the music was so strongly sad. It sang of hello and goodbyes, love and loss, friendship and heartbreak and companionship and loneliness. 

It was just like the book he was reading. The music was the perfect theme for the book he was reading. He continued reading as the words created images of friends who thought they were going to be together forever, unconditional love, a happy family that was reunited and then suddenly, immediately and unexpectedly broken and torn apart, and a choice between the best friend and her husband and heartbreaking goodbyes. Peter didn't realize he wasn't crying until he reached the last page. 

"What's the book?" asked the Doctor who was strumming another ballad of unconditional love and wonderful friendship but there was something of childlike innocence and wonder in it this time. Peter listened to it, tears streaming down his face feeling emotional as the music reminded him of how he pleaded Tony not to go, that he was sorry but how he knew that Tony's death was inevitable. That it was happening and nothing could stop it. 

"It's just a book." said Peter swallowing his lump of emotion, as he wiped away his tears wondering why the Doctor was so talented in playing such beautiful, tragic and heartfelt masterpieces on guitar. 

"Is it sad?" asked the Doctor slowly as she strummed the guitar, the sunlight falling onto her face. 

"Why would a book be sad?" asked Peter huffing with laughter but he did not meet the Doctor's eyes. 

"I don't know." said the Doctor observantly as she looked at the tears in Peter's eyes and she continued to play her the feelings that had resurfaced and overwhelmed her too much about the Ponds today "It's that you look sad."

Peter felt humiliated for crying but the ending of the book was so sad and the music had been so tragic and everything together had reminded him of Tony and he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by emotions and start crying. 

"Read it to me." said the Doctor as she put on Amelia's glasses, the ones Peter thought that the Doctor looked older and wiser in "The book." 

"I'm on the last page." said Peter quietly and the Doctor stiffened at those words. 

_"Why did you do that?"_

_"Oh I always rip out the last page of a book. Then it doesn't have to end. I Hate Endings!"_

Peter took the Doctor's silence as her approval and began to read quietly as the Doctor listened wondering what words in the book made Peter cry

"Afterword by Amelia Williams." began Peter reading the last page quietly with so many emotions in his voice and the Doctor stiffened because she couldn't believe, no she couldn't believe that she was hearing those words again, today of all days, where she was missing Amy Pond so much that her hearts ached painfully. 

" ** _Hello, old friend. And here we are. You and me, on the last page._** " read Peter smoothly, not knowing that the Doctor had closed her eyes and was now hearing Amy speak to her in her strong Scottish accent " ** _By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone. So know that we lived well and were very happy._** " Peter paused for a moment and then continued gently " ** _And above all else, know that we will love you always._** "

The Doctor felt her hearts beat with fondness and grief at the memories of Amy and Rory and she listened to those wise words that her best friend had left her with " ** _Sometimes I do worry about you though. I think once we're gone, you won't be coming back here for awhile. And you might be alone. Which you should never be._** " 

Amy Pond. The Girl who knew her so well. The girl who saw through her childish and silly facade and who didn't put up with her dark and angry outbursts. And Amy was right as always. The Doctor had been so alone after the death of the Ponds, never interfering in the affairs of other peoples or planets. And even though companions began to enter the TARDIS and travel with her, they could never replace the place the Ponds occupied in her hearts. So in a way, yes, the Doctor had been alone for a long time without the Ponds. And the Doctor did her best to avoid New York. She disliked New York and made it a point to steer clear of New York when her companions begged her to take them to see the sights in New York. Because New York reminded her of what it had taken away from her. This city had taken away her best friends, her companions, her family. The only reason she was here was because the TARDIS had bought her here for a reason that there might be something shady happening here. 

Right now, the Doctor wished Amelia Pond was with her. 

" _ **Don't be alone, Doctor.**_ " said Peter softly and the Doctor felt tears prick her eyes as she glanced at Peter who was reading the book and thought of Ben and James. 

" _ **And do one more thing for me. There's a little girl waiting in a garden.**_ " read Peter easily and emotionally and the Doctor's sad smile curved into a whimsical and nostalgic one as she remembered the little girl who waited for her. " _ **She's going to wait a long while, so she's going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story.**_ " 

" _ **Tell her that if she's patient, the days are coming that she'll never forget.**_ " said Peter with a emotional smile, not seeing the tears shining in the Doctor's eyes " _T_ ** _ell her she’ll go to see and fight pirates. She’ll fall in love with a man who’ll wait two thousand years to keep her safe. Tell her she’ll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived. And save a whale in outer space._** _"_

 _" **Tell**_ ** _her, this is the story of Amelia Pond. And this is how it ends._** " concluded Peter quietly and looked up from the book to see tears streaming quietly down the Doctor's cheeks. 

Peter had never seen his Professor cry and it alarmed and startled him as he stood up and made his way towards the Doctor but he didn't know whether to hug her instead he put his hand on her arm gingerly and asked "Professor? Are you okay?" 

_"I'll tell her to write an afterword. Perhaps you'll listen to her."_

"Silly old me. Silly old Doctor." murmured the Doctor as she brushed away her tears and she thought she heard Amy's comforting whispers.

"Doctor?" asked Peter, very worried as he looked at the Doctor who he had never seen this broken and old, fragile and sad and he couldn't help but hug her. 

"I lost my best friends a long time ago. I never saw them again." said the Doctor quietly after a long time, leaning into Peter Parker's hug in surprise. 

Peter didn't know why he said what he said next to the Doctor but he blurted it out "Mr. Stark - Tony is dead. I convinced myself that I could move forward without him but I miss him every day."

"Were they your family?" asked the Doctor, hugging Peter Parker who was crying into her blue coat. 

"Yes." said Peter as he looked at the Doctor, sincerity and truth and sadness stretching in his face "He - Mr. Stark knew things about me no one else knew. And he believed in me. And he saw that I had potential and I could be better than him. But I feel like I'm letting him down by not living up to him." 

"You're not letting Tony Stark down." said the Doctor as she firmly placed her hands on Peter's shoulders and looked into his eyes "Tony Stark would be proud of the person you are today, Peter. And you are under no obligation to live up to Tony. I don't think anyone could do that, not even Tony." 

"Then what do I do?" asked Peter feeling lost and helpless but as he looked with his teary eyes into this wise Professor's eyes he knew that she somehow what he needed to hear. 

_"Is that how it goes Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets unless there's other children crying?"_

_"Yes."_

"You, you live up to the potential that Peter Parker has to offer." said the Doctor with a small, gentle and kind smile. 

Peter smiled through his tears at the Doctor and after a moment he asked "The friend of yours, you miss her a lot, don't you?" 

The Doctor's sad grief stricken expression was enough to answer Peter's question and Peter bravely answered the next question "How do you cope with it? How do you cope with her being gone?" 

"I honor her memory by not traveling alone." said the Doctor adjusting Amelia's glasses that were slipping of her nose "I carry them with me, everything they said and did for me and everything they might have done and said to me if the universe had been kinder. So even though my family are gone from this world, they are always seared onto my hearts forever." 

"Professor, I know I've asked more than enough personal questions today." said Peter as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie "But I'm so sorry you lost your family. But you're not alone." 

The Doctor thinks about her parents, her wife and children back at Gallifrey who burned and then think about Amelia Pond and her water gun and Rory Williams grinning at her as they welcome her inside their warm and cosy house for Christmas dinner where they set a special place just for her and thinks of the twenty four years of domestic bliss she spent with River Song at Darillium. 

"Thank you, Peter." said the Doctor with a small smile that conveyed a thousand of emotions that she felt as she looked at the young and impressive boy and to Peter she didn't have to say anything else. 

Because the Doctor, through that small, warm and emotional smile had replied that he wasn't alone either. That he would always have the Doctor by his side. 

Finally the Doctor teaches Peter about how reality and fantasy are different but Peter now sees the Doctor in a different light. As she reads aloud a book on Advanced Quantum Physics through her Harry Potter glasses, he sees a woman who has lost her dear family and loved ones, who has felt the heartbreak of death and loss. Peter always thought of the Doctor as invincible and intelligent but seeing her break down and cry at the Afterword by Amelia Williams, showed him that the Doctor was just sometimes terribly human. Peter saw the way the Doctor would sneak secret glances at the pictures of her laughing family when she thought no one was watching with a sad look in her puppy eyes. Peter wonders whether the Doctor has always wandered alone. 

"Why did you cry at the afterword, Doctor?" asked Peter softly and quietly, interrupting the Doctor who was peacefully reading her book. 

"Why did you cry?" asked the Doctor, throwing the question at Peter and Peter realizes that it's something that the Doctor does when she wants to hide the damage. 

"The afterward was addressed to an old friend. An old friend named the Doctor." said Peter realizing as he looked at the Doctor who stiffened all of a sudden and her grip on the book grew harder "Amelia wrote that afterword for the Doctor. For you." 

"I'll leave you to your deductions." said the Doctor as she covered her face with the paperback book of Advanced Quantum Physics, not wanting Peter to see the saddened and broken expression on her face and the tears pooling in her eyes. 

There was a few moments of silence between them as the clocked ticked irritating the Doctor. It always irritated the Doctor when clocks ticked and monitors beeped. Human beings. Why did they have to put sounds to mark the passing of time?

"Is that her in that picture?" asked Peter knowing that he was going too far but he wanted to know. "Is that your family?" 

The Doctor did not lower her book but answered the question "Yeah. That's her. That's them. My family. A long, long, long time ago." 

"Who is the idiot wearing a fez?" asked Peter trying to lighten the mood and it works because the Doctor chuckles from behind the book.

"Fezzes are cool. Although River never thought so." said the Doctor conversationally as she remembered all the times she would wear a fez to family meetings just to annoy Amy and River "Amy would throw it to the sky and River would shoot it dead. She had a wonderful way with a gun." 

"She sounds - um - well - phenomenal." said Peter not knowing how to describe this amazing River who reminded him of Natasha who was dead. 

"Oh, she was amazing. The idiot in the bowtie loved her with all his hearts." said the Doctor with a wistful and affectionate smile as she thought of River. 

Peter looked at Doctor who an array of eccentric different rings every day but the constant was the golden band on her ring finger "Doctor, are you married?" 

"No." answered the Doctor shortly, because it was too painful for her to think about her late wife, River Song about their time together spent traveling in the TARDIS, taking her to see the stars. 

"Have you ever been married?" asked Peter hesitantly because he didn't want to upset the Doctor but there was so much he wanted to know about his new mentor. 

"Yes. Many times. Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth - But there was one time that really counted." said the Doctor as she put down her book and fondled her wedding ring absentmindedly "I - well - a very long, long, long time ago I was married to an amazing woman who made me a better person." 

"How did you meet?" asked Peter curiously as he looked at the Doctor who was looking at the wedding photograph at the man in the bowtie smiling lovingly at his wife who was loosening his bowtie with a sexy smirk. 

"In a Library." said the Doctor wincing at her first meeting with the Doctor and then thought of River's first meeting with the Doctor "Or a cornfield. Pick whatever you like." 

"Did you love her?" asked Peter but he didn't need to ask that because the Doctor's expression said it all. She had loved her a great deal and suffered a great loss and incredible pain at losing her wife. 

"What happened?" asked Peter twisting his fingers together as he looked at the young Doctor who suddenly looked ancient and exhausted and he regretted asking the question from her. 

"We were together for a while and we were very happy." said the Doctor with a smile that expressed reminiscence of nights of pure ecstasy and days of endless exploring "And then she died a long time ago in a library, saving my life." 

"I'm sorry." said Peter feeling absolutely horrible at asking her such a personal question and wondered how on earth the Doctor moved on from such a great loss. 

"I wear this ring as a reminder of the standard she believes me capable of. To remind me to always be compassionate, merciful and kind." said the Doctor as she looked at her golden ring that they had exchanged at their wedding ceremony while Rory cried and Amy cheered "Things end. That's all. Everything ends. And it's always sad." 

She said this in such a profound and sad voice that Peter felt tears prick his eyes as he looked at her and she smiled wistfully at Peter "But everything begins again too... and that's always happy." 

"Be happy." said the Doctor with a brilliant smile to Peter who smiled back at her full of hope and inspiration, because he understood that even though they were different, those words were meant for him and had moved him a great deal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, so yes I decided since the Doctor is in New York, I decided to include Amelia Pond's afterword to remind her not to be alone. 
> 
> Also the music that the Doctor plays is 'The Life and Death of Amelia Pond' and 'Goodbye Pond'. 
> 
> Yeah, I'm drowning in sad feels today.


	7. Chapter 7

"So - are you still not going to bloody admit that you care about this Peter Parker boy?" asked Ben in exasperation as he walked beside the Doctor who was busy reading her sonic screwdriver. "Oh my god, I'm going to kill you if you don't say that this Peter Parker is your favorite student!"

"What makes you say that?" asked the Doctor as she tossed the sonic screwdriver and caught it again.

The Doctor regretted asking this question because Ben and James were prepared with reasons and Ben as always began "You tutor him almost every day and eat hot dogs with him in the subway and walk him all the way home to make sure he is safe."

"Yes, Ben. Because New York is a dangerous city full of crimes. No one should live here." said the Doctor booping Ben's nose playfully. 

"When Peter mentioned that he was having some of his project designs on exhibition at the Stark Expo, you bought tickets to see his inventions." said James with a grin as the Doctor put her arms around Ben and James in a friendly manner "Then you proceeded to praise all his brilliant inventions and both of you walked around the Stark Expo commenting and criticizing other designs and inventions." 

"You were there too! You loved every moment of it!" replied the Doctor trying to defend herself. 

"Only because you didn't have any money to buy the tickets and you dragged us along saying it would be fun!" said Ben groaning at how much time they had stood by watching the Doctor fawn over Peter's inventions and inquire in fascination about other inventor's creations, offering remarks for betterment often earning unfriendly glares so much so that they had almost got into a fight with one inventor and got kicked out of the Stark Expo.

"And it was fun! The sciency wiency experiements and inventions were really cool!" said the Doctor, her eyes gleaming with the enthusiasm of a ten year old. 

"And then we went to see the movie that Peter wanted to see with him." said James with a grin at how the Doctor and Peter had bonded over their excitement over a boring sci -fi movie that James and Ben had snogged through out. 

"Only because you were complaining that we didn't go sightseeing in New York." said the Doctor cleverly, making James and Ben roll their eyes at their Doctor. 

"Doctor, when we meant sightseeing we meant like the Statue of Liberty." said Ben as he rested his head on her shoulder "Not some old cinema that showed a nerdy sci - fi movie." 

"It was not -" began the Doctor with a purpose of defending the movie when James cut in. 

"And now, we're all dressed up and going to dinner to Peter's apartment." said James as he looked at Ben and the Doctor who were dressed nicely than usual "And we've got chocolate souffle and the best cheapest eight dollarest bottle of wine that New York can offer. If this isn't you taking the boy under your wing, then I don't know what it is." 

"It would be rude to refuse an invitation from Peter Parker's Aunt May." said the Doctor as she ignored the knowing and amusing looks dancing in the eyes of her companions "Believe me, aunts can go mad if they are refused. I had an Aunt once who literally exploded when any of the guests didn't turn up at her party on time. And all of them were Timelords." 

"Your family stories never cease to fascinate and sadden me at the same time." replied Ben rolling his eyes in amusement at the Doctor. 

"Shut up!" said the Doctor tugging at her ruffly nice and ocean blue pant suit that looked casual but chic "I still can't believe you didn't let me wear my helmet." 

"Yes. Because wearing a helmet to a dinner party is accepted etiquette." said James sarcastically nodding at her unsympathetically. 

"Now, remember the rules of being the best dinner guest." began Ben as he looked at the Doctor and James who were shifting impatiently from one foot to another. 

"Why do I need this lecture? I'm the most properly behaved adult you have ever met. That is the reason you fell in love with me." said James in a bragging and boastful voice as he rolled his eyes at the Doctor who shook her head at him "In High School, I was voted the 'Most Well Behaved'." 

"I know you think you're bragging but that's just sad." replied the Doctor sassily making James glare at her and Ben hold back his laughter "Why do I need this lecture? I have lived over thousands of years and been to more parties than you two have been to and I know how to behave. I have partied with Caeser and Brutus when they were homies, I've skinny dipped with Cleopatra, I have got drunk with President Kennedy and good old Jackie and I have partied at the Planet of Parties. I know how to behave incredibly at parties. " 

"You wanted to wear your glow in the dark sneakers to this party." replied James in the voice of a man who had to deal with his unreasonable kid in the body of a grown adult.

"What if the lights went off, James? New York has a possibility of powercuts!" retorted the Doctor flapping her hands around in frustration.

Ben interrupted both of them "Thank you for demonstrating exactly why you both need this lecture." 

"The rules are simple. James, please keep your patience with the Doctor's childish behavior and make sure she behaves like a normal human being. I'll help." said Ben ignoring the Doctor's protests and smiling at James who gave him a thumbs up and then he looked at a sulking Doctor "Doctor, please don't sulk, smile like you're glad to be here. Rule one, no talking about aliens or traveling to the past or future or time travel. Rule two, don't talk about the time you were a man. Rule three, I know you want to help but maybe you should do less helping and more talking about normal stuff like global warming and politics. Can you do that? Can you pass off as a normal human being?" 

"Yes. I mean, I have done this before you know." said the Doctor confidently as she tugged at her ruffled lace collar "I can pass as a normal human being incredibly well." 

"Oh please. Have you seen yourself?" asked James snidely, with a smirk playing on his lips.

"So now you're just going to be snide. No helpful remarks?" asked the Doctor nudging James and Ben rolled his eyes at their playful sibling rivalry. 

"Come on. My best friend and my husband." said Ben as he looked affectionately at the Doctor and James "We've faced monsters through all of time and space! We can get through a simple dinner party!" 

The Doctor knocked on the door and Peter heard the knocks among the chaos that was happening in his apartment and ran to open the door to find the Doctor and his friends, Ben and James standing their with bright smiles. But their smiles faded when they saw smoke appearing from the kitchen and the fire alarms screaming at them. 

"Oh dear. Did we come at a bad time?" asked Ben looking at the small fire that was taking over the kitchen. 

"Sort of. Aunt May is cooking and the chicken is burning down - oh fuck -" swore Peter as he started coughing from all the smoke. 

The Doctor handed Peter a handkerchief and a woman emerged from the kitchen "Peter, sweetie, I think we need to call the fire fighters because the kitchen is burning -"

The Doctor stepped in with a smile as she took a fire extinguisher out of her pockets "Fire fighter, that's me. Stay back!" 

The Doctor ran into the kitchen followed by Ben and James who scrambled to find water, baking soda and salt to smother the fire while the Doctor sprayed everything that was burning with her fire extinguisher. In a few moments, the fire disappeared and the Doctor looked disheveled as she shook out the soot and took in the state of the place. Only half of the kitchen was burnt down and the rest was mercifully spared thanks to the Doctor's fire extinguisher and Ben and Jame's quick thinking. 

"Well, it could be worse." said Ben surveying the damage with a tight smile, trying to be positive. 

"Yes, well thank god, the Doctor had a fire extinguisher." said James in relief and the narrowed his eyes at the Doctor "Why do you have a fire extinguisher with you?" 

"Always carry a fire extinguisher with you to a dinner party." said the Doctor wisely as she held onto the fire extinguisher and kissed it "And a banana. Bananas are good." 

"Oh, thank you so much. Whoever you are, you are our saving grace." said Aunt May with a relieved smile as she looked at the Doctor. 

Peter who was looking at the Doctor in surprise, decided that it was time to introduce them "Aunt May, this is my Professor, the Doctor Jane Smith. Doctor, this is Aunt May." 

"Hello, May." said the Doctor as she kissed a surprised Aunt May on both her cheeks in true European Style "This is how they greet each other nowadays isn't it? I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor and these are my friends, Ben and James." 

"Hello." greeted Ben and James as they shook Aunt May's hand politely and cordially. 

"Oh, Doctor, it's nice to finally meet you." said Aunt May with a smile at the Doctor who grinned brightly at her "Peter has told me so much about how clever and intelligent you are and how interesting and weird you are." 

"Aunt May!" groaned Peter, embarrassed at how his Aunt was embarrassing him but the Doctor paid no attention to that. 

"And I really appreciate the extra tutoring and support you are giving him, Doctor." said Aunt May gratefully with a smile at the Doctor who brushed off specks of soot from her cheek.

"Oh, it's no problem. My pleasure. Your nephew has a brilliant mind. He's very clever." said the Doctor with a charming smile, not seeing Peter smile at her and she looked around the apartment "This is the most beautiful apartment I have ever seen. You are clearly a woman of exquisite taste." 

"Oh god, this is her passing off as a normal human being." groaned Ben quietly as he leaned into whisper to her husband who was trying to control his laughter. 

"Yes and it's amusing." replied James who was watching the Doctor converse with May. "The Doctor trying to be an actual normal human! Oh this party is going to be a disaster!" 

"So what are you a doctor of?" asked Aunt May, who hadn't let Peter get a word edgewise since the moment the Doctor had entered. 

"Oh everything. Medicine, cheese making, cotton candy, Art History, History, all different various sort of things really. Can't keep track." said the Doctor in that way of speaking that didn't make sense to anyone but her and Peter smiled and saw that Aunt May like many others were confused and the Doctor's eyes brightened "Oh, I suppose since I'm your nephew's tutor you would want to see my credentials." 

"Ah, my national insurance number." began the Doctor as she took out her psychic paper and showed it to Aunt May and then quickly swapped it to her other hand "My NHS number" Then she swiftly swapped it to the other hand before Aunt May or Peter could read "Educational Qualifications." Then again, to the amusement of Ben and James and the confusion of May and Peter swapped it into her other hand and showed the psychic paper "References." 

May who was confused throughout all of this suddenly pointed towards the psychic paper "Is that a reference from Queen Elizabeth the First?" 

"I'm her special favorite." replied the Doctor with a wink as she snapped the psychic paper shut and shoved it inside her pocket. Then the Doctor paused for a moment as an expression came over her face, an expression she wore when a thought struck her mind, a thought that was right and led to trouble, an expression that James and Ben recognized too often as they watched their friend raise her eyebrows and tilt her head slightly and then sniff the air and lick her finger and hold it up in the air for a moment. 

James and Ben shook their heads at the Doctor, wondering why they expected her to behave like a normal human being when the Doctor grinned at all of them, clearly out of her thoughts "Are you hungry? I'm hungry." 

"We can't cook. The kitchen's burnt down." said Peter apologetically as he looked at his odd and eccentric but wonderful Professor "I'm so sorry, Doctor. We don't have anything." 

"You have everything I need." said the Doctor with a smile as she opened the fridge and peeked at it curiously and took out the pans and the pots out of the cupboard "You sit down and pour yourselves a nice drink and I'll start to cook - pour un délicieux repas!" 

"Doctor, I can't really allow you to cook!" protested May who was watching the Doctor light the stove with great care "You're our guest!" 

"Nonsense. I've never been one to follow social etiquette anyway!" said the Doctor as she put the frying pan on and poured a bottle of oil that sizzled "Now, Doctor's orders, out of the kitchen!" 

Ben and James took Aunt May out of the kitchen glad that the Doctor was an alien who was oblivious to human social etiquette but Peter stayed because he didn't feel it was right that the Professor he invited for dinner was cooking dinner for them. So he helped the Doctor by chopping vegetables while the Doctor cooked and fried and while they did so in comfortable companionship, conversation between them flowed.

"Who is the girl on the fridge?" asked the Doctor who had noticed a dark, curly haired pretty girl in a photo with Peter, both of them smiling brightly. 

"Oh, she's just a friend." said Peter blushing, not wanting tell about MJ to the Doctor. 

But the Doctor was sharp and clever and she noticed the blushing and the lovesick smiling "A girlfriend?" 

"Yeah. MJ is awesome!" said Peter with a grin that the Doctor hadn't seen on his face and the Doctor continued to grind the cheese. "I mean - we met in high school, it's cliche, I know but she's nothing like a cliche. She's super funny and smart and intelligent and she understands me. She knows who I am and accepts me. I love her so much." 

"So what's the problem?" asked the Doctor who had dealt with enough relationships to sense when there was something wrong deep down in a very healthy relationship that was meant to be.

"Nothing! Nothing!" exclaimed Peter's shaking his head with a tight smile as he held back a sad sigh thinking of all the times MJ promised she would call but she never did and all the times that his texts went unanswered and he leaned against the fridge "Nothing is wrong." 

"Want to tell me the truth now?" asked the Doctor who sensed the distress and despair in Peter's voice. 

Peter was quiet for a moment and then he sighed "It's just that - MJ is brilliant and intelligent and she's studying in Yale and I'm here because - well, there are things I need to do. And she understands that. And we both came to an understanding that we would still be in a relationship and not let the distance tear us apart. And I love her, I really do, Doctor with all my heart. But with every passing day, I feel like she's one step further away from me. I know the day is coming that MJ - my MJ will look me in the eyes and tell me that she won't want to be with me. And I think it's going to hurt like hell." 

The Doctor had stopped cooking and she was looking at Peter thoughtfully but Peter had the distinct feeling that she had sunk back into her memories which she did often and she finally mumbled "I suppose this is how River felt." 

"What?" asked Peter who didn't hear what the Doctor said clearly. 

"Nothing." said the Doctor shaking her head, clearing her thoughts of River as she busied herself with cooking "Fight for her. Girls like that. At least I think they do." 

"You're a girl. I mean - a woman." said Peter confused as he smiled in amusement at her. 

"Am I?" asked the Doctor who ruffled her hair and then touched her neck "Yes, I am. Always takes some getting used to being a woman but it's fantastic." 

Peter raised his eyebrows wondering what on earth is Professor was talking about when his Doctor stopped cooking and looked at him with a small smile "Your relationship with MJ, reminds me of the oldest story in the universe. Boy and girl fall in love, get separated by events, wars, politics, accidents in time. She's thrown out of the hex or he's thrown into it. Since then, they've been yearning for each other across time and space. This isn't a ghost story, it's a love story. And remember, not everything ends. Not love. Not always." 

Peter was silent for a moment as he contemplated this oldest story in the universe that fell from the Doctor's lips and he had a feeling that the Doctor had lived through this story herself. That she had experienced an explosive, epic, incredible love story such as the one that she just described to him. And Peter wondered as he looked at the Doctor whether the Doctor was as old as the universe itself because although she looked incredibly young, her eyes held knowledge of secrets that must never be told and when she spoke it was as if an ancient lonely god who has seen every creation and destruction in the universe happen throughout her life. Peter knew it was silly and impossible but when he looked at the Doctor who would sometimes have this thoughtful expression on her face, he would wonder whether his impossible thoughts were true. 

"I just want MJ, Doctor." said Peter with a huge sigh "I don't want to lose her." 

_"I'm so sick of losing people."_

"Look at you with love in your heart and kindness in your eyes. Your sentimental memories and your never giving up." said the Doctor gently as she looked at Peter thoughtfully "Do you know what makes you better than me?" 

"What?" asked Peter wondering what could make him better than this wonderful, intelligent and brilliant woman who was currently cooking for all of them. 

"Your understanding that life is fleeting. You cherish little moments and you love with all your heart." said the Doctor, marveling at the brilliance of humans who were fragile yet so strong "That's what I forget and that's what you remember." 

"You love your girlfriend. And love is a form of hope and hope endures through everything." said the Doctor passionately as she remembered how much she had loved River and how much River loved her. How much Rory loved Amy to wait for her and guard her to keep her safe for two thousand years. How much Amy loved Rory to take a leap of faith and blink so she could be with Rory in a time and place that was unfamiliar to both of them "And when you love someone, you don't let them go. If you are lucky if enough to find love with someone in this vast universe, you believe in it and you fight for it against all odds." 

_"It'll be fine. I know it will. I'll be with him like I should be. Me and Rory together."_

_"To save you... I could do anything."_

_“I can't let you die without knowing you are loved. By so many, and so much. And by no one more than me.”_

_"You are always here to me, and I always listen. And I can always see you."_

Peter looked at the Doctor in awe as he listened to her wise words and then after a moment, he spoke up "I can't help but think you're speaking from experience, Doctor." 

"Of course, I'm speaking from experience. I've been in love, I've seen great love stories." said the Doctor with a smile as she stirred in the frying pan "I've been around for a long time. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." 

"So I should fight for MJ? Yeah, I shouldn't give up on her." said Peter nodding his head with renewed strength and commitment as he looked at the Doctor who had finished cooking and was now taking out the plates "Need any help?" 

"Thought you didn't notice." replied the Doctor rolling her eyes at Peter who laughed and started helping the Doctor out to set dinner onto the dining table. 

Ben and James helped along and they were impressed at the dinner that the Doctor had cooked up for them and subtly gave her a thumbs up and wide smiles that the Doctor returned them a bright smile and they all began to dig in and eat. They conversed about everything from college to their studies and jobs and then onto the Avengers and Spiderman that the Doctor noticed seemed a touchy topic for Peter and she changed it into some gossip she had seen on a cover of a magazine about the latest celebrity scandal that May, Ben and James pounced immediately upon. The Doctor didn't know anything about celebrity scandals, she just entered a few remarks here and there to fill in along with Peter but she found herself enjoying the dinner with her friends, Peter Parker and his Aunt May.

Peter was happy that dinner went absolutely great with the Doctor and her friends who were lovely and kind and he was relieved to see that Aunt May got along with them all. Aunt May laughed at the Doctor's silly antics and gossiped with Ben and James and although the Doctor was odd, she never made anyone feel out of place or unimportant as she listened to Aunt May drone on about her job, laugh at Ben and James' jokes fondly and talk with Peter about some new TV show he was watching. She was kind and nice, and unlike any other Professor that he had ever met. The Doctor and his friends made the dinner feel warm and fun with their enthusiasm, energy and kindness. In a long time, Peter felt like he was surrounded by family, people who cared and somewhere he belonged. And it was crazy he felt that way, because he had met the Doctor only a week ago but here she was in his apartment having dinner with him and Aunt May laughing and chatting happily. 

Peter looked at the Doctor and smiled happily and the Doctor who was listening to something Aunt May was saying, caught Peter's eye and smiled warmly at him.

Aunt May looked at the Doctor like she was an angel that descended from heaven as she asked "This dinner was delicious! Absolutely marvelous! Where did you learn to cook like that?" 

"Paris in the 15th Century." answered the Doctor graciously with a wide smile and was greeted by incredulous stares from Aunt May and Peter and saw James and Ben coughing and gesturing at her that she was not behaving like a normal human being "Sorry, um - the 18th Century, no the 17th - the 16th - the 20th? Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order."

Ben and James were shaking their heads at them and Aunt May looked at the Doctor with raised eyebrows "Has anyone told you that you're a bit weird?" 

"Aunt May!" exclaimed Peter, taken aback by her Aunt's rudeness hoping that the Doctor wouldn't be offended.

But the Doctor seemed unfazed by Aunt May's words as she replied with a smile "They never really stop." 

Ben took this opportunity to take the attention off the Doctor "Well, May, let us help you with cleaning the table." 

"Oh no, no need." said May, shaking her head at how wonderfully nice these guests were being to her. 

"Oh, please we insist." said James with a charming smile that no one could resist, helping his husband achieve his goal "Maybe Peter could stay here with the Doctor while we clean the dishes?" 

The Doctor smiled at her friends, oblivious that they were excluding her from any more of her nonsensical chatter and she walked about the living room, her sharp eyes noticing everything and then finally sat on a nice cushiony sofa. Peter followed her and sat on the sofa as well. 

"Thanks for cooking dinner tonight, Doctor." said Peter gratefully to the Doctor who was looking around the apartment curiously "You didn't have to do that." 

"I was hungry." replied the Doctor, making Peter laugh. 

"Aunt May is a terrible cook. Most of the time, we eat takeaway." said Peter as he crossed his legs and made himself comfortable. 

"I like takeaway. Well, I've had takeaway. Not most of the time anyway." replied the Doctor as she fumbled awkwardly through the conversation "I had a nice time at dinner too. It's been a while since I've done this." 

"Had dinner?" asked Peter puzzled as he looked at the Doctor. 

"Settled down." said the Doctor with a strange expression on her face that Peter couldn't quite figure out "You know, I believe in traveling all around and I never really stay in one place for too long. And then I stayed over at my mate's Craig place because I needed to make sure my best friend wasn't thrown off into the Time Vortex and then after a while, I lived with my best friends for a year in a proper house with a proper room of my own. Living with them wasn't so bad. I rather liked it actually. But ever since, I lost them, I haven't been sticking around in one place for too long then." 

"Then why are you here?" asked Peter softly, wondering what it must feel like to never rest and to always be on the move. He felt a little sad and disconcerted that his new Professor was maybe planning on leaving "Do you want to leave New York too?" 

"There's still work to be done." replied the Doctor seriously, in a tone that sent chills down Peter's spine "People need the Doctor." 

Peter wondered what on earth she was talking about when the Doctor's serious expression vanished and a childish expression replaced it "I've got a present for you." 

"Me?" asked Peter in surprise as he laughed "It isn't my birthday. Or Christmas. Have I done something special?" 

"It's just a gift." said the Doctor in a huff of soft laughter as she bought out a small blue box out of her pockets and Peter wondered whether she was a part time magician as well. "Open it." 

Peter took the box from the Doctor's hands and in anticipation opened the box hopefully wondering what was inside it. As he took the lid off the box, he found lots of pictures, pictures of his parents, pictures of him when he was a baby with his parents. They were scattered throughout the box and Peter felt his heart swell in disbelief and joy, sadness and amazement at seeing his parents who he had lost a long time ago who he never thought he would see. 

"You told me that you didn't remember much of your parents and it would be easier for you if you had pictures of them." said the Doctor swallowing the lump of emotion that formed in her throat at the expression of disbelief and amazement that spread across Peter's face "Don't ask me how I got it. I pulled some strings and got a few pictures for you. The picture quality isn't the best but -" 

She was cut off by Peter who hugged her, blinking back the tears that had sprung into his eyes. He was amazed that the Doctor remembered something insignificant that he had once being babbling to her when she had been playing her guitar. Peter was so grateful that the Doctor had gone through so much trouble to get these pictures for him so he could remember his parents and keep them with him. It would be easier for him now. Looking at the photos, it wouldn't make him feel so alone. Sometimes he wondered about his mother and father and how it would feel if they were here with him. And now they were here frozen in the moment in countless pictures. 

"Thank you so much, Doctor." whispered Peter as he buried his face into her shoulder, feeling a surge of affection for this strange, eccentric but kind and loving Professor who had changed his life in the moment she walked into it "You have no idea how much this means to me." 

"You're welcome, Parker Peter." replied the Doctor fondly as she hugged the young boy back, glad that Peter liked her gift. That it hadn't backfired on her spectacularly. 

The Doctor had made a decision not to take the TARDIS out for regular spins because it might make whatever alien activities suspicious but when Peter Parker had told her that he wished her could have even the smallest memory of his mom and dad because it would make the greatest difference, she couldn't resist running into the TARDIS and flying into the past, and meeting Peter's mother and father who met because of her at their university days. She had become good friends with both of them and had taken pictures of both of them at parties and hikes, dinners and dances, when they were young and starry eyed in love. The Doctor had then jumped into the TARDIS and fast forwarded to the time where she visited Mr. and Mrs. Parker who had just given birth to the newborn baby Peter Parker. The Doctor held a young, innocent Peter Parker in her arms as she cooed and talked to him about the stars and the universe and comforted him when he cried, telling him that he was too young to cry. Peter Parker had drooled over the Doctor as she had kissed his forehead and told him of how he could be anything he wanted to be. And that the one thing he would be was absolutely fantastic. Of course, during her visit, she had played with baby Peter Parker and taken loads of pictures of his mom and dad playing with baby Peter who they loved and adored. And the Doctor promised to visit them again knowing that it was a lie and promised Peter Parker that she would see him soon. 

The Doctor had toyed with time for this boy. Why would she go through all of this trouble for him? 

Well, maybe - just maybe - the Doctor had grown a little fond of the brilliant and funny and kind Peter Parker that made her smile and see the universe in a new light.

Maybe, with Peter Parker, New York city was not so bad after all.


	8. Chapter 8

"Um what are we doing?" asked James who was holding onto a device that looked like a remote control with an antenna that was currently being sonicked by the Doctor. "What is this thing I'm holding?" 

"This thing you are holding is a very clever, very cool, very brilliant device that I invented that goes 'BEEP' that warns of dangerous aliens close by - excluding me." said the Doctor as she put in the final modernized touches to her cool 'BEEP' detector that she had used a very long time ago to track a Zygon and then she had snogged Queen Elizabeth and her alien duplicant with big red rubbery suckers and met her future self and her past self - and the point was she didn't have time to get into all of that right now.

"And if it goes Beep?" asked Ben who was very patient with the Doctor unlike his husband who was rolling his eyes at the weird alien who was biting at some wires. 

"Then we have found the alien, talk to it, ask the plan and tell it to get off this planet." said the Doctor with an adorable smile as she finished her 'BEEP' detector. 

"Great. That's not a plan, that's just points." said James with a groan as they began to walk all over the university casually. 

"It's a start. Respect the points, James. They usually end up being a plan once I'm done improvising." replied the Doctor huffing sassily as she walked ahead and James and Ben quickly fell in step to keep up with her. 

The Doctor had finished her lectures for today and she had free time to track the alien readings that had been popping up on her sonic screwdriver. As she walked through the campus, students stopped and greeted her and James with bright smiles and flirtatious remarks which the Doctor was oblivious to and James ignored politely while Ben glared at anyone who would look at his husband in a flirty manner. The Trio had become wildly popular in the campus within the week they had been here, the Doctor for her unorthodox methods of teaching and wacky and weird fashion sense, James for his kindness to all students and his handsome Prince Charming good looks, and Ben for his sassy remarks that he did not hold back even though he worked at the canteen. The three of them had grown even more popular because of their strong friendship and camaraderie. The students loved James and Ben's relationship and shipped them even though the Doctor didn't understand what that meant and asked Peter where they were shipping Ben and James to, making Peter laugh uproariously for fifteen minutes. But certain staff members of the faculty disapproved of a same sex relationship between a Professor and a worker at the canteen and Ben and James stayed strong together ignoring their subtle remarks. But one of the Professors in the faculty had made the mistake of making a homophobic remark against James and Ben in front of the Doctor who had gone absolutely silent for a moment and then had stood up in front of everyone and quietly delivered a powerful speech about how love in its all forms is the strongest weapon of all and told him never to insult her best friends or anyone like that again. Her voice had been quiet but powerful and everyone had listened and the next day, the Professor had resigned from his post and left New York. After that, no one dared to mess with the Doctor, James and Ben again.

They were now in the library and the Doctor nodded for Ben and James to search the library with the detector while she snooped around. And as she walked into the library, she saw Mr. Liam Thompson, the librarian who was renowned for his grumpy attitude and remarking 'silence in the library' at least hundred times a day. But when he saw the Doctor enter, he waved at her with a friendly smile and she waved back with a nice smile as she walked towards him. 

"Good morning, Sir Thompson." said the Doctor cheerfully as she leaned on the library desk and smiled charmingly at the middle aged man who had a soft spot for her. "How are you today?" 

"Better now that you are here. How many times must I ask you to call me Liam?" said Liam with a friendly smile he neatened the books and the Doctor took one of the books and flipped through it, reading it "How are you doing?" 

"I'm doing good." said the Doctor with a chuckle as she read one of Shakespeare's works and handed it over to Liam who nodded appreciatively at the woman who appreciated Shakespeare unlike any of the idiotic youth today. The Doctor leaned towards him, in a manner a gossiping lady would lean towards her best friend with a unbelievable secret "You haven't seen anything unusual or suspicious these days, have you?" 

"Well." began Liam clearing his throat as he looked at the Doctor with the dark blue coat, purple blouse and black pants with rose pink sneakers that shimmered "I heard that from Chloe who heard from Naomi who heard from Christopher who heard from the janitor who heard from Janice that Professor Louis Taylor was seen snogging Linda King behind the bushes at the Central Park on his so called day off where he was supposed to be on holiday with his wife!" 

The Doctor was stunned for a moment because that wasn't the type of unusual movement she was looking for and she was always taken aback by what humans classified as suspicious and unusual. No wonder they didn't notice the world was in danger until it was burning. 

She sighed and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes as she put on her sonic sunglasses and shook her head "Well that wasn't exactly what I was looking for, Sir Thompson. But thank you, I need to be off."

"Well, let me know if there is anything I can do for you, Doctor." said Liam with a bright smile at the Doctor who gave him a thumbs up.

And as the Doctor started to walk away, she suddenly got an idea and turned around and smiled at Liam "Actually, there is something you can do for me. Can I borrow all the newspapers that you have archived within two years, please?" 

"The newspapers? Whatever for?" asked Liam with an amused laugh. "It'll get you months to go through all of them." 

"Trust me, I'm a fast reader." said the Doctor with a grin that made Liam grin at her and then the Doctor's eyebrows narrowed thoughtfully "On second thought, you're right. Give me the newspapers that have been published this year and you've archived so perfectly." 

"Well, if you insist." said Liam with a smile as he walked to the section where he had stacked the newspapers and soon took out a box of newspapers covered with dust "Here you go, Doctor." 

"Thank you so much, Liam." said the Doctor with a grin as she blew the dust on top of the box. 

"I heard you were saved by Spiderman yesterday." said Liam as they made their way back to the front of the library where the Doctor hoped James and Ben were waiting "What was he like? How did it feel?" 

"Feels a lot better than being dead." replied the Doctor smartly, making Liam laugh in amusement. 

"Well, I'm glad you're alive, Doctor. You're the only sunshine around here." said Liam with a bright smile while the Doctor was busy scanning the dates of the newspapers through the box with her sonic sunglasses "I couldn't bear the thought of you dead. I didn't like that Spiderman before but since he saved your life, I think I'd give him a chance." 

"Good." said the Doctor absentmindedly with a charming smile and then saw James and Ben approaching her and quickly dumped the box on James making him groan at the heavy weight and took the detector "Well, it's been good seeing you, Liam. I'll see you around again. Thanks for all your help. James, Ben, say goodbye to Liam." 

"Bye, Liam" said James and Ben, like children being told to wave nicely at their relatives by their mother. 

"Oh by the way, Doctor. Some man with a rabbit was asking for you. I told him to get out of my library." said Liam rolling his eyes at the memory. 

"Good work!" said the Doctor highfiving Liam not seeing James and Ben rolling their eyes at her "Was it the Examinations Committee? I think they are after my head because I'm not grading my students based on exams." 

"I don't think so but if they ever come looking for you, I'll cover for you." said Liam with a laugh as he looked at the Doctor who smiled cheerily. 

"Thanks, Liam. You're da man!" said the Doctor with a wide smile as she waved him goodbye and exited the library with the detector. 

"So did you find anything?" asked the Doctor as she looked at James who was glaring at her as he held the box and Ben who intertwined his arm with hers. 

"No. Nothing that went BEEP!" said Ben with a sigh as he looked at the Doctor "Doctor, why do we have a box full of newspapers?" 

"Bloody good question!" groaned James as he lifted the box and the Doctor's lips twitched in amusement.

"Oh do stop complaining. You are more brawns than brains." said the Doctor jokingly and Ben joined in laughing because it was an inside joke among the three of them. "I was thinking we should do some research. Read up." 

"On what?" asked Ben curiously as he looked at the thoughtful Timelord. 

"Anything. Everything. The crimes. The weather." said the Doctor who was walking fast and then halted all of a sudden as she paused for a moment and then looked around the campus, sniffed the air and put her finger in her tongue and held it out for a few moments. Then as she contemplated her findings while her friends looked at her in disgust and curiosity, she stuck out her tongue looking like an idiot. 

"Doesn't the air taste and smell funny to you?" asked the Doctor after she had tasted and smelled the air which smelled like something she couldn't name. 

"It's New York. The air always smells disgusting." replied James shaking his head fondly at the Doctor. 

Before the Doctor could say anything back, they heard a loud commotion nearby and they quickly ran towards it to find The Dean and Professor John Hawkins facing Peter Parker who was trying to pick up a messed up project. The design was clearly something that John and the Dean had been working on and the Doctor knew about it because they had told her about it many times. Just by looking at the scenario, the Doctor deduced that Peter Parker had accidentally run into them and destroyed their design that they were about to present at the New York Scientific Exhibition. 

The Dean was yelling at Peter and John was scolding Peter who was picking up the pieces, trying his best to fix it but it was in vain and the Doctor rushed to the chaotic scene with a smile "Hello everyone, it's the Doctor! I'm here to help!" 

"Oh hello, Doctor!" said the Dean, relaxing at seeing one of the nice and clever Professors who had arrived on time "How are you?" 

"Oh doing good!" said the Doctor with a grin as she gave them a thumbs up "Love the bow tie, sir." 

"Oh this one. It's just another old one." said the Dean flattered that the Doctor didn't think his bowtie made him look like an idiot. 

"Can I borrow that newspaper please?" asked the Doctor politely with a smile and the Dean obliged as he handed over the newspaper to the Doctor who just flipped through it curiously while Ben asked. 

"What happened?"

Peter suppressed an internal groan as he looked at James and Ben who were curious and the Doctor who didn't seem to care a bit as she looked through the pages of the newspapers as a furious Professor John Hawkins began "This idiot boy knocked over our amazing design on purpose and now we can't showcase it at the New York Scientific Exhibition! All our hard work has gone to waste and all because of you!"

"I swear, I didn't do it on purpose!" began Peter fighting back at these ridiculous accusations "I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going -" 

"Oh do shut up! What's your name? It's Parker, isn't it? You're expelled!" yelled the Dean, his face turning an unbecoming red. 

"WHAT?" screamed Peter in disbelief as his blood boiled at the unfairness of it all. 

"This is so unfair! He is just a child and he didn't see where he was going and -" began Ben who could not stand a big fat bully and he didn't like the Dean who was bullying Peter.

"Oh do shut up! You're nothing but a worker in the canteen!" retorted the Dean nastily.

"OI! THAT'S MY HUSBAND YOU ARE TALKING TO YOU GIT -" began James angrily, ready to drop the box and punch the Dean in his face when suddenly the Doctor's voice boomed across shut them all up. 

"GENTLEMEN! WILL YOU ALL PLEASE SHUT UP?" asked the Doctor loudly wondering why on earth men didn't talk and resolve disputes peacefully and instead thought yelling and fighting was the solution.

All of them shut their mouths because they had never heard the Doctor raise her voice because she never did, she never believed in raising her voice to get attention or to solve a problem. As silence greeted her, the Doctor sat in the peacefulness of the silence for a while and then took a deep breath and began to speak to them in a civilized and polite tone with a smile. 

"Listen to me, yes, your project design is utterly destroyed. No, it's not revolutionary. Of course, I lied to you saying it could change the world. Why did I do that? Because my friends Ben and James told me that I should be nice and not myself. And thank your lucky stars that Mr. Peter Parker crashed into you destroying your design making sure that you wouldn't be able to show off this absolutely embarrassing design to the scientific community at large." said the Doctor flapping her hands around to James and Ben who facepalmed themselves, Peter who raised his eyebrows, the Dean who looked taken aback and John who looked distressed "And all of this pales to utter inconsequential fact that once again there is a threat to this world!"

They were all silent as the Doctor began to walk away with her newspaper whistling a merry tune with a knowing smile on her lips and the Dean was the first to begin "Doctor, this boy destroyed our hard work -

The Doctor turned around and gave a look that silenced the Dean right away "Mr. Parker had a collision with your creation - nobody saw where they were going - faults on both sides - no reason to expel the boy, let's say no more about it." 

There was a moment of silence and Peter held his breath wondering what the Dean would say when the Dean wore an apologetic expression "Of course, you're right, Doctor. If the boy is with you and you vouch for him, he can stay in the university." 

Peter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped because he hadn't expected the Dean to give in so easily and the Doctor to have so much of power and he watched as the Doctor whistled merrily as she smiled widely and gave a thumbs up to the Dean who smiled at her. 

This woman just saved his education with a few words and a bright smile. 

Without a fight. 

How the heck did she do it? 

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at Mr. Parker." said Professor John Hawkins apologizing to Peter who looked absolutely taken aback and then at the Doctor who smiled graciously "It's just that I'm so stressed out this week. Sharon hasn't been in this whole week and I have to do her job as well for half the -" 

"Shush!" said the Doctor placing her finger on her lips, silencing Professor John Hawkins' rant and Peter, James and Ben looked at her in surprise. "Sharon?" 

"Yeah, she's a lecturer in our department and she hasn't been in all week and I've had to do -" began John ranting his frustration about his job again to the Doctor who didn't seem to care. 

"Shush!" said the Doctor again in the same manner, silencing everyone and Peter wondered how on earth his university Professor managed to that. 

"You've got to teach me how to do that." said Peter in admiration as he looked at the Doctor who was deep in thought. 

"When did you last see Sharon?" asked the Doctor curiously. 

"Last Friday." replied John with a small chuckle and then looked at the Doctor "Why? Is it important?" '

"Everything is important." said the Doctor solemnly, the voice that sent chills down Peter's spine again warning him that the Doctor was more than she seemed. 

The Dean bid his goodbye and John looked at the Doctor who was ruffling Peter's hair and reprimanding him for being so clumsy and he bravely asked "I was wondering whether you were free tomorrow night." 

"Well, I'm always free." said the Doctor casually oblivious to the amused and amazed looks exchanged by James and Ben and the expression of disgust that Peter was wearing at knowing what was going to happen "Why? What's so special about tomorrow night?" 

"The campus dance." supplied Peter helpfully with a small smile because for one so smart, the Doctor was an idiot when it came to social cues "I invited MJ and she's coming from Yale!" 

"Oh is she? That's great! Good for you!" said the Doctor with a genuinely happy grin. "Hope you have a good time." 

"I was wondering whether - well, you would like to dance and have dinner?" asked John shyly because this new Professor that had waltzed into his life was unlike any other woman he had ever met and he wanted to impress her. 

Peter made puking noises, James snickered and Ben did his best to contain his laughter. The Doctor, bless her hearts, remained oblivious to the good man's advances "Well, I'm not a good dancer. But I like dinner. I can cook too. I remember dancing with Prince Phillip and he was a magnificent dancer but I stepped on both of his toes at once, but he had a very good sense of humor about it. And I like my dinner -" 

But Ben coughed interrupting her and looked at trying to convey that he was trying to ask her but the Doctor didn't understand as she looked back in puzzlement. Meanwhile, Peter was trying his best to keep his laughter away because he did not want to be expelled again. 

"I mean - would you like to go on a date with me?" asked John patiently trying again and James and Ben admired his patience with the Doctor's idiotic eccentricities and obliviousness. 

"Why would I want to go to Date with you? It's the most dangerous planet in the universe filled with carnivorous moth butterflies that will eat -" began the Doctor in confusion wondering how this human being knew about this planet and wondered whether John was the alien she had been looking for all this time.

John decided that it was time to be direct with the oblivious and beautiful Doctor "I meant asking you on a date - as in when two people spend time together doing an activity they both like so they can get to know each other romantically." 

The Doctor was stunned as she realized what John had been asking her and all she could managed was "Oh." 

"Yeah." said Ben nodding his head snorting in laughter and a bit concerned at how the Doctor seemed to be frozen like a statue they had seen in one of the ice planets they had visited. 

"Oh!" realized the Doctor feeling embarrassed as she blushed in front of Peter, James and Ben who were containing their laughter "Like - you want to dance with me -" 

"Yes." said John feeling relieved that the Doctor had finally realized that he was asking her out. 

"Well - um, that's really nice of you. Um - John. John's a good name. A very common name. Not that I'm saying you're common. I'm sure you're an uncommon man. Um -" began the Doctor flustered not sure what to do or say in this kind of social situation because Ben and James had not prepared her for this. 

"It's okay if you don't want to go." said John looking a little downhearted that the Doctor felt bad for him. 

"Oh no. A date as in dancing, dinner and then we -" said the Doctor flapping her hands about, blushing as she made smooching noises which made Peter bury his face in his books hiding his laughter while James and Ben had no qualms about giggling at the Doctor's silliness.

It was John's turn to blush "If you like. We can see where the night goes."

Peter was sure he was going to vomit at the flirtations between the Doctor and Professor John Hawkins when the Doctor stepped back flapping her hands "Well, John, you'e nice and I think you're brilliant and I like dancing and dinner - but um - yes - blimey - well -" 

"Doctor!" began John in concern as he looked behind her. 

"Tomorrow night -" said the Doctor stepping back and suddenly she was stumbling and falling down three flights of stairs, bumping her head and her back in the process.

When she finally landed onto the floor, she let out a loud groan of pain and she heard a familiar yell of worry but she didn't open her eyes as the pain throbbed through her body "DOCTOR!" 

It was Ben's loud and worried voice and it took only a few moments as Ben ran down the stairs towards her and knelt by her and took her hand "Oh my god! Doctor! Doctor! Please be okay! Please wake up stupidhead! Just please!" 

The Doctor let out a strangled groan and muttered a string of incoherent words and finally her eyes fluttered open to see Ben's blurry worried and pale face hovering over her ""Ben. Hey. My Ben." 

"I'm here." said Ben softly as he looked at the Doctor in concern and worry, relief flooding him at seeing her open her eyes.

James, Peter and John rushed down the three flights of stairs at that moment and saw that the Doctor was pale but miraculously alive. James knelt by his friend as he took her hand and took her pulse which was faint but still strong. As James took her pulses, two separate pulses, the Doctor and James shared a secret smile because only her closest friends knew about her two hearts. And they were thankfully still beating. 

"Doctor!" gasped Peter who had gone extremely pale as he looked shocked at how she had somehow managed to survive the fall "Are you okay?" 

"Of course, I'm not okay. I fell down three flights of stairs." groaned the Doctor sarcastically and Ben and James smiled in relief, glad that her spectacular sass hadn't gone away. "Use your head, Parker. I'm probably suffering a concussion but there seems to be no sign of broken bones or ribs but I have a twisted ankle." 

"How do you know that?" asked John who helped the Doctor get up as she stumbled clumsily even with the help of Ben and James. 

"I'm a Doctor." replied the Doctor sassily as she groaned in pain. 

"Are you sure you are okay?" asked John in concern as he looked at the Doctor who was supported by Ben and James. 

Ben took charge of the situation as she asked sweetly "Doctor, I hate fezzes." 

"Hey, fezzes are cool. I want a fez. Shall we go buy a fez?" asked the Doctor childishly in excitement even though she was stretching herself and testing where it hurt the most in her body. 

"Yeah, she's fine." said James nodding his head with absolute certainty. 

"Um - sorry, she needs rest." said Ben looking apologetically at the Doctor who flinched in pain "She can't come to the dance tomorrow. She needs time to heal." 

"Of course. I understand. I feel like this is completely my fault." said John looking absolutely heartbroken at the Doctor.

The Doctor shook her head "No, no, please you must not feel bad, John. I am not used to being asked out by charming, handsome, brilliant men like you and I got flustered. I'm clumsy as a new born baby deer." 

Peter furrowed his eyebrows at the last part and he thought he heard a suppressed laugh in the Doctor's last part of the sentence but he thought he must have misheard it with the shock and the Doctor continued charmingly "My only regret is not being able to dance with you tomorrow night. This wretched twisted ankle will not allow me." 

"Yes. Well, I hope you get well soon, Doctor!" said John with an apologetic and sweet smile as he bid her goodbye and she waved with great difficulty at him.

James and Ben started helping the Doctor up to her study where she kept medical supplies and Peter accompanied her as he carried the heavy box along with her detector. The Doctor groaned and flinched but braved up one flight of stairs when her friends started teasing her. 

"So - you get asked out on a date and instead of falling for him, you fall down three flights of stairs." began Ben teasingly with a laugh "You're a disaster, Doctor." 

"You could have just said yes or no." joined in James mercilessly teasing the Doctor who was wearing an expression of pain at her ankle and at resisting punching James in the face for making fun of her. "He's a nice bloke. He fancies you." 

"Yes. I got that impression. Thank you very much, James." replied the Doctor with another groan wondering how much longer it was going to take for her friends to carry her up. 

"Doctor, it was kind of weird and funny at the same time." said Peter with a grin and then began to imitate the smooching noises the Doctor made, making James and Ben burst into laughter. 

The Doctor glared at a laughing Peter "I should have let you get expelled." 

"What will you do if he asks you out again?" asked Peter with a playful twinkle in his eyes as he looked at his Professor who looked absolutely done with her friends and the world. 

"Run away." said the Doctor as she pulled herself out of her friends grasp and limped towards her office door which was always locked "I have no interest in romantic dalliances. By the way, thank you for helping me. You've been perfect gentlemen."

"It was just -" began Ben with a laugh, about to make a remark about John and the Doctor when he noticed something important as his eyes went towards the Doctor's limping leg "Hang on! I could have sworn that hurt leg was your right leg." 

"Was it?" asked the Doctor playing it innocent, as she dug into her pockets to find her keys. 

"Yes, it was!" exclaimed James who narrowed his eyes suspiciously while Peter nodded in agreement "And now your limping leg is your left leg." 

"Oh dear. How very perceptive of you and weird and strange of my legs." remarked the Doctor airily as if she was talking about coffee and croissants in Paris "The pain seems to have transferred in the most peculiar manner from my right leg to my left leg."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Peter disbelievingly as the Doctor opened the door and the walked perfectly well into her office "You are walking perfectly well!"

"Excellent observation, Mr. Parker!" said the Doctor with a smile as she snapped her fingers and closed the door. 

"How are you - why would you walk weirdly unless -" began Ben in puzzlement and then realized something as he crossed his arms and looked at the smirking Doctor in exasperation and amusement "You fell down those stairs and faked an injury on purpose, didn't you?" 

"Took you long enough to arrive at that conclusion." said the Doctor with an amused smirk as she looked at her stunned friends "Untrained monkeys could have seen through my cunning ruse." 

"You fell down the stairs on purpose so you could refuse a date?" asked Peter in shock and disbelief as he stared at his Professor in amazement "Why? How?" 

"While I was rambling, I calculated the height and the angle of the stairs and the depth of my fall and came to the conclusion that if I took the risk of falling, I would be hurt enough for John to back off and believe that I was injured to not go on the date. And it worked. I got a concussion but the thing that didn't go according to plan was the twisted ankle so I faked it. I'm very good at acting, believe me I learnt from Audrey Hepburn." said the Doctor as she sat down on her chair and put her legs on the desk casually "Any questions?" 

"Yes. Are you insane?" asked James shaking his head at her. "You could have probably died!" 

"Yes." replied the Doctor with a smile. 

"Why couldn't you just say no?" asked Peter curiously admiring his teacher's dedication to getting out of a date. 

"Because - well, because John is a nice man and I didn't want to hurt his feelings." said the Doctor surprising all of them "And because you know me, I like to do things with a little bit of dramatic flair!" 

James looked at Ben with raised eyebrows "Now is the time where you lecture her on proper human behavior and to behave better in the future." 

The Doctor looked at Ben in expectation but her lips were twitching and Ben looked at the Doctor thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling in amusement "Well, at least you got to admire her dedication and commitment." 

"Ben!" 

"Thank you!" 

"I'm surrounded by idiots!"


	9. Chapter 9

The dance had happened last night where the Doctor had not attended but had persuaded James and Ben to go and have fun. She had not held extra classes for Peter because he was greeting her and getting ready for the dance. Although she hadn't seen Peter Parker throughout the day, she did receive a phone call from him asking her whether she was alright and they had, had a quick chat about the dance and MJ before he hung up. The Doctor had felt wistful as she stared at the gleaming city of New York and in the distance heard the music play merrily. She hated when she felt like this. Left out and alone in the world. Like she didn't belong. And the truth was she really didn't belong here. She was an alien with two hearts and a blue box that could travel through all of time and space, saving the universe from monsters. What part of that made her belong here?

She knew that she should be finding whatever was making New York taste and smell weird, but that night, last night she just couldn't move. Her two hearts pounded heavily in her rib cages as she took in deep breaths of the smoky and disgusting air of New York. She could hear laughing and squealing and she knew that her friends were among them. What would it be like to dance the night without a care in the world? She didn't know the feeling. Well, she did a long time ago. But those times were over and there was no use being sentimental and silly dwelling on the past when she needed to take steps forward. 

She had sat and spent the night in her TARDIS busy searching for building plans of the university and missing reports of people in New York city because of certain suspicions that arose within her. She had an inevitable itch to just pull down the lever and leave New York city and travel wherever she wanted to but she had resisted the temptation pretty well. As she spent the night, busying herself by first doing some much needed repair work on the TARDIS and then started reading the newspapers that she had borrowed from the library through Amelia's glasses while the TARDIS hummed and whirred comforting her sad and wistful mood. The TARDIS had played her some of the touching and soothing songs from past and present singers and composers that flooded her with emotions and in certain moments made her smile and bought her to tears. Her Old Girl always knew her the best and always took care of her when everyone else was gone. 

The Doctor and Her Old Girl.

At least, she had Sexy.

She wasn't alone, not really.

Her Old Girl understood her better than anyone. 

She didn't cry, she didn't have any tears to cry. But she kept herself busy as she read through the newspapers and it didn't take her long to know that New York had a local hero. Spiderman. The hero who swoops in and saves the day. Always there to help out at the most convenient of times. The police didn't like him that much because he was doing their jobs for them but the community thought he was brave, always risking his life for the greater good. The brave, friendly neighborhood Spiderman who had fought against Thanos, who was Iron Man's protege, who was a proclaimed Avenger and who had saved the city over and over again without being cruel or cowardly. 

The Doctor looked at the picture of Spiderman swinging from one building to another. 

She thought that he was brave. 

She didn't like brave people. 

Because in the end, they always faded away and died. In the end, they save everyone but nobody does anything to save them. 

The Doctor had lost so many brave people and she didn't want to lose any more. 

Spiderman's eyes, his grin seemed so familiar. Who was behind that mask and had the Doctor met them? 

"Who are you?" asked the Doctor looking at the picture of Spiderman grinning into the camera wondering why on earth his face looked so familiar "Tell me who you are. Have we met before? Because I never forget a face." 

She looked at Spiderman and shook her head as she read through every newspaper, her brains depositing every word, every important detail into them. She understood and looked deeper into the story and by the time she was done, the TARDIS was playing a much softer song, a lullaby and she rolled her eyes as she grumbled "I'm not a baby." 

The TARDIS whirred in reply, disagreeing and the Doctor huffed in laughter at her wife arguing with her. She decided that it was time for a change of parking of the TARDIS as she stroked the console and the TARDIS hummed in agreement as she pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever and the TARDIS started to take off up, up and away to the clouds and beyond. 

After parking the TARDIS and making sure everything was safe and sound, she looked out at where she had parked the TARDIS and smiled in joy and contentment. It was a perfect spot and also if any aliens happened to be chasing them, it was a perfect escape route as well. She stepped out to check whether the surface was solid and then when she was finally satisfied with the final checks, she decided to go back into the TARDIS. This bought back memories to her and she smiled as she closed the doors of the TARDIS. 

Something in the Doctor just wanted to read one more important article that she had kept very safely throughout all these years. As if the TARDIS knew what she was thinking, the TARDIS popped the article she was thinking about from the console and the Doctor took it very carefully in her hands. 

She began to read the article that she had kept preserved all throughout these years, the article that bought tears to her eyes because of all the bittersweet memories, the article that made proud of the picture of the girl with a wide sassy smile and auburn red hair. 

_"Amelia Jessica Williams traveled the world, unsettled the powerful, raised a child and inspired millions of people - an extraordinary life by anyone's standards. When asked, in an interview mere months before her death, what drove her, she thought about it for a minute before answering "A long time ago, I would have said: to make him proud. But no more, although I know I've done that. Just, simply, so there would be no more children crying. I grew tired of watching for the world to be better."_

_By Sarah Jane Smith._

_Staff Reporter._

The Doctor smiled proudly as she finished reading the article "Glorious Pond. The Girl Who Waited For Me. I'm so, so, so proud of you, my Amelia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> The excerpt of the article was taken from Amy Williams' obituary written by Sarah Jane Smith and I believe the Doctor would have kept it with him throughout the years as a reminder of how she changed the world, without his/her help. How she and Rory lived a good life.


	10. Chapter 10

"And how was last night?" asked the Doctor from Ben and James who were practically glowing that she didn't need to ask. 

But she did. 

"It was wonderful!" exclaimed Ben, his eyes shining with happiness as he looked at James "We danced all night, didn't we love? It was awesome!" 

James chuckled deeply as he smiled at his husband and kissed him "It was definitely a night to remember." 

"You should have been there, Doctor." said Ben as he cuddled into James' warmth looking at the Doctor who was reading a newspaper and wondered if she was alright because she looked sad. 

"I have a twisted ankle, remember?" retorted the Doctor jokingly with a good humored smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. 

James and Ben laughed but they both saw how the Doctor's smile was different to her joyful and childish smile and James remarked "Sod it anyway! You could have danced with us! You love dancing, you silly idiot!" 

A tiny smile flickered in the Doctor's face and then she looked at James and Ben with a small nod "Maybe another time." 

"So - since you weren't dancing, what were you doing last night?" asked Ben after a few moments of silence where the Doctor flicked through pages of newspapers and was wearing her expression of serious thought "Did you take the TARDIS out for a spin and party on your own? Speaking of the TARDIS, where the heck is it?" 

"No. I didn't go anywhere even though I really wanted to. And don't worry, the TARDIS is perfectly safe in a better location that only I know of." answered the Doctor with a small smile as she thought of the work she had accomplished last night. "And speaking of what I did last night, while you two were dancing in the moonlight, I did my research and read through all the newspapers. And guess what?" 

"What?" asked James as he looked curiously at the woman who was dressed weirdly again today. 

The Doctor took out the newspaper as she showed it to him "Missing reports from all over the city this month. This week, Sharon Carter missing, last seen last Friday. David Williams, missing, last seen, last Wednesday. Lucas Sanders missing, last seen on Monday. And on and on it goes." 

Ben took the newspaper from the Doctor alarmed and startled "Why is none of this on the front page?" 

"Oh, the front page has an exclusive on Spiderman. These people are on pages four, six and nine." said the Doctor showing the page numbers and then pointing the articles to her best friends "Because nobody has noticed yet. Nobody cares. They are far too excited about Spiderman's emotional journey, which in fairness is inspiring." 

Ben and James read these articles and then the Doctor looked out of her window as she pointed the sonic screwdriver at the sky "And then there are these power fluctuations all throughout the city."

"Power fluctuations? That's just loose lines that the city is fixing up, isn't it?" asked James as he looked at the Doctor for an answer. 

"I don't know but I know for a fact that loose lines that the city is fixing up definitely isn't causing these power fluctuations." said the Doctor tossing her screwdriver, a move she always did when she was being playful and confused "Because these power fluctuations have been happening exactly when people go missing. Coincidence? I think not. Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you are busy. Then always ignore a coincidence." 

"Unless the city administration is kidnapping people to fix these power fluctuations?" asked James jokingly but the Doctor just stared at him incredulously. 

"Don't make me hit you with my shoe. And it's a high heel." 

"Come on! Doctor, so what's making these power fluctuations?" asked Ben interrupting the banter that was going to start between the Doctor and James. 

"I don't know. How am I supposed to know? Why do people expect me to know everything?" snapped the Doctor as she huffed and walked around her office "It takes all the fun out of getting to know something." 

"Okay. So what else? Power fluctuations and missing people." said Ben taking in a deep breath, seeing that the Doctor was in one of her particular moods. 

"Oh, there's more. There's the lightning." said the Doctor stating it as if it was a universal fact that should make sense to every one of them and Ben and James raised their eyebrows at her.

"What about the lightning?" asked James curiously as he folded his arms.

"It's incredibly odd. It appears with no thunderstorms." said the Doctor shaking her head at both of them, as she explained why it was odd "And where there is lightning, we all know that there is -"

"Thunder!" exclaimed Ben and James together in realization.

"There we go! Was that so hard after all!" said the Doctor with a sigh of relief but she was smiling as she began explaining again "Thunder is caused by lightning. When a lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground, it actually opens up a little hole in the air, called a channel. Once then light is gone, the air collapses back in and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder."

"Did she just explain the concept of thunder to us?" asked James with an amused smile. 

"I think so. Just listen and nod." replied Ben with a grin but nodding in understanding.

"You both know that I can hear you, right?" asked the Doctor exasperated but her lips were twitching into a smile. 

"We know you can." said Ben with a grin and then replied "Now get on with your explanation, Professor." 

"So, don't you think it's very odd that there is only lightning without a storm, without thunder?" asked the Doctor as she paced about the office "And of course, let's add to that the fact that this building has no basement." 

"But it has a basement, it's just that no one ever goes in there." said James confused as he exchanged glances with Ben. 

"Exactly!" exclaimed the Doctor snapping her fingers "Can't you see, there is no basement in the building plan but there is a basement in this university that no one goes to? Why is the basement not included in the building plans? Why are they hiding it?" 

"I don't know. Maybe a mistake." stated Ben but he wasn't entirely sure and the Doctor knew it. 

"A university as old as this one, someone is bound to have noticed a mistake in the building plan. No, this wasn't a mistake, this was a carefully clever plan." said the Doctor hitting her screwdriver against her head "And no one cares about the basement. No one's noticed. So maybe a perception filter."

"So what do we do? Do we have a plan?" asked James as he put his hands on his hips in readiness as he looked towards the Doctor. 

"Yes. We wait until night when everyone has left the building and check out the mysterious basement." said the Doctor as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation and excitement. 

"Okay, sounds good." approved Ben feeling excited at the thought of adventure and then remembered something "Um Doctor, there was a woman here today asking for you." 

"What woman?" asked the Doctor absentmindedly as she looked through the building plan and memorized it. 

"Just a woman. She wanted to see the Doctor but we couldn't find you anywhere." said Ben shaking his head with a small sigh. 

"Who was she? Was she from the university? Was she a student?" asked the Doctor inquisitively but Ben was clueless as he shrugged. 

Someone knocked on the door and the Doctor who was feeling a little impatient at the fact that there were so many people searching and bothering her today when it was her day off yelled "What the hell is it?" 

Miranda opened the door and peeked through it "I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Doctor but there is a Professor wanting to speak to you about a project design. He has been asking about you and wants to see you. Shall I send him in?" 

"Is it Professor John Hawkins?" asked the Doctor for extra discretion so she could quickly fake her twisted ankle just in case. 

"No." said Miranda and she had the nerve to giggle "It's a very handsome, very charming man who says he has the future of technology in his hands and he wants to show it to you first." 

Normally the Doctor would be intrigued but she had another important appointment that was due soon and she shook her head "Sorry. Tell him I'm very busy and I can't see him."

Miranda nodded and closed the door behind her and then James raised his eyebrows at the Doctor "Isn't it strange?" 

"Isn't what strange?" asked the Doctor as she arranged a pile of books neatly for her next visitor. 

"That people have been wanting to see you." said James curiously as he cocked his head to the side. 

Doctor snorted as she rolled her eyes at James "James, please. Don't be jealous just because I'm much more wildly popular than you are. Once all the visiting dignitaries who were supposed to see Queen Victoria, gathered around me and threw me a great, magnificent party." 

"Your modesty never fails to amaze me, Doctor." said James rolling his eyes at the Doctor as he sat on the sofa next to Ben who was laughing. 

The Doctor cracked a smile, this time real and genuine as she looked at James and Ben laughing and then she heard a knock on her door that she expected and said "Come in!" 

"Ah, good morning, Parker Peter! I hope you've had a good night's sleep. I don't mean this literally because dancing all night, you mustn't have slept a wink and you and your girlfriend -" began the Doctor cheerfully as she collected a stack of books for Peter from her bookshelf and then turned around to see Peter weary and tired, wearing an expression of someone who hadn't slept all night because he had been crying through the night. 

The books dropped from the Doctor's hands as she looked at Peter "Peter! Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine." croaked Peter as he pulled up his hoodie, his eyes shining with tears as he didn't meet the Doctor's eyes "What are we doing today?" 

"What happened?" asked the Doctor in concern as he looked at Peter who was clearly struggling not to cry. 

"Nothing. Nothing." said Peter gritting his teeth as he bent down and picked the books that the Doctor had dropped "Rocket science. Let's start on rocket -" 

"No. We're not starting on anything until you tell me what's wrong." said the Doctor firmly because a tear was rolling down Peter's cheek and his hands were shaking and she couldn't just bear to see him cry. 

"No! Why do you care?" yelled Peter slamming the books on the Doctor's desk startling the Doctor, Ben and James who were all clearly concerned and disturbed "I'm your student, and you are my Professor! We are not friends! I am not required to tell you anything so just shut up and teach me!"

There was absolute silence, silence where nobody dared to breathe because it was unbelievable and tense. James and Ben who knew the Doctor would never hurt a child was extremely nervous because they had never heard anyone speak like that to the Doctor not knowing who she was and they were looking at her expressionless face wondering what she was thinking. The Doctor then looked at Ben and nodded and raised her eyebrows at James and they both knew what exactly she wanted, what exactly she was going to do and they left the office quickly. 

Peter who was watching this silent exchange was terrified. What did the Doctor communicate silently to her friends? Was she going to bring the Dean to expel him properly this time? After letting his anger and sadness out on the Doctor, he had realized what he had done and he was horrified that he had yelled at the Doctor out of all the people. The Doctor who had offered to tutor him and who didn't think he was crazy for believing in the impossible. The Doctor who had become a mentor to him by giving him advice and walking him home to make sure he was safe, even though she didn't have to. The Doctor who encouraged him to achieve his full potential. The Doctor who had gifted him with a piece of his past, pictures of his mother and father to make him feel less alone. The Doctor who had come after the chaotic dinner party to fix their kitchen out of sheer kindness because Aunt May was busy with her job and couldn't find time to get someone to fix it. The Doctor who had saved his university education. 

"Doctor..." breathed Peter in terror as he looked at the woman with no expression on her face as she walked towards him "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to - please forgive me! Give me another chance, I'll be better -" 

But his apology was cut off by the Doctor wrapping her arms around him, embracing him into a warm and tight hug as she mumbled comforting and soothing words in dead languages while Peter Parker broke down in her arms sobbing loudly. Her hearts broke as she listened to Peter sob and cry loudly at first and then progressed into soft and silent sobs into her favorite yellow coat but she held him close, in a warm and caring hug letting him know that he wasn't alone as she placed a caring and motherly kiss on his ruffled and messed up brown hair. 

_Crying silently. I mean children cry because they want attention. Because they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently it's because they can't just stop. Any parent knows that._

_Are you a parent?_

"I - she broke up with me." mumbled Peter as he cried and the Doctor knew who exactly he was talking about. 

What do you say to someone who just lost the love of their life? 

"She says - we're just better off on our - own." sobbed Peter quietly, who was first taken aback at the Doctor's surprising reaction to his outburst but now feeling comforted "I don't understand - I just - I thought we could - could make it work. But we're busy and the time is tearing -"

Time.

The Doctor knew better than anyone that when it came to relationships that time was an unfair rival that could not be fought against all the time. 

Even by a Timelord. 

"I don't - I love MJ and I thought that was enough -" said Peter whose sobs had subsided and who was now leaning onto the Doctor for support because he was unsteady. 

The Doctor noticed that James and Ben had come into the room with tea and cake like she had told them to and Ben gingerly said "Look, I know it may seem like the end of the world but you'll find someone." 

"Don't say that!" snapped Peter glaring at Ben who was taken aback and saw the Doctor shaking her head at Ben "Could you really say the same about James if it happened to you?" 

Ben closed his eyes and sighed knowing that he couldn't and said "No." 

"I thought - I thought - it doesn't matter." said Peter his shoulders slumping as he buried his face in his hands "MJ was the only one who knew me and accepted me and loved me and now I have no one. And Doctor, you were wrong. Love ends." 

The Doctor's hearts painfully thumped as she looked at the boy sitting on the ground and she wanted to help him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and lifted him up "Alright you, come on! I - I know this seems like the end of the world -"

"If you say that it isn't the end of the world, I swear -" began Peter with a groan.

"I was going to say that there is tea and cake and you can dig in. Also you can go home and sleep as much as you want." said the Doctor straightening her shoulders as she poured tea into a cup for Peter. 

"But the classes are important -"

"You're important. Get some rest." said the Doctor seriously with a small and caring smile as she pushed the plate with cake in it "And I've deactivated all the notifications on your phone so you will not be able to check your messages and go through your social media accounts."

"Why would you do that?" asked Peter as he took the phone from the Doctor. 

"I find that humans are susceptible to stalking their exes online on Twitter and Instagram and rereading messages out of sentiment." said the Doctor clapping her hands and then looked at Peter "And after you're done, we're all taking you home." 

"That's right." said Ben nodding along with James. 

"What?" asked Peter clearly taken aback at the concern that these three were showing "I don't need babysitting." 

"Don't worry. We aren't babysitting. We are teenager walking?" asked the Doctor confused at the own term her brains just made up "Is that a thing?" 

"No." answered Peter, James and Ben together. 

"Oh well." said the Doctor disappointed that it wasn't a thing "Do you want to grab pizza, french fries and ice cream on the way? I love pizza, it's the best!" 

"Pizza?" asked Peter tiredly but he was rather amused. 

"Yes. You're heartbroken after a breakup." said the Doctor as she smiled at Peter as she wrapped his arm around his shoulder and looked at all of them with a smile "You're entitled to fried junk and unhealthy food that is absolutely delicious. I know a place, it has pizza and video games. Come on!" 

"What did you do? Save the owner from aliens?" asked Ben with a teasing smile as they followed the Doctor. 

"No, I climbed up a tree and rescued his cat." replied the Doctor smartly, making everyone laugh in amusement and then looked at Ben, Peter and James thoughtfully with a smile "By the way, Peter Parker get your coat and pack your bags! Tomorrow, we're going on a road trip!" 

"We are?" asked Ben and James in confusion because they had not planned this.

"Where?" asked Peter dazed, his thoughts all muddled up to pay much attention to the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled brightly "Washington D.C." 


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, why are you dressed like that?" asked James in the tone of a man who absolutely wanted to throw his best friend out of the window as he looked at the Doctor "Please, for the sake of my sanity and the vision of my eyes, change your clothes Doctor."

"Why? I think I look very cool!" said the Doctor with a grin as she spun around showing off her Hawaiian shirt, her beach shorts with printed pictures of shirtless men and her blue flip flops and to top it all off a red fez sitting on top of her head.

"Cool? Cool? You've lived for centuries and that's what you classify as cool?" asked James flapping his hands about in frustration as he groaned at the Doctor.

Ben was trying his best not to laugh because he agreed with his husband but the sight of the Doctor was so funny "Doctor, my husband has a point."

"Oh well, you would take his side wouldn't you?" replied the Doctor snarkily as she glared at both of her companions, one of them who rolled his eyes, the other who laughed in amusement.

"This road trip was a good idea, Doctor." said Ben changing subject topics because the Doctor and James were about to dive into their sibling banter again "Peter has been blue ever since MJ broke up with him."

"Yeah, he hasn't smiled, he hasn't been eating properly, he hasn't been sleeping and didn't he almost scrape through?" asked James curiously feeling bad for Peter who they had all grown fond of.

"Yes. But no need to worry. This road trip will soon fix that." said the Doctor as she looked at the Audi that Peter had told them that this belonged to him.

James whistled as he looked at the car "Sweet ride. Where did Parker get this amazing beauty from?" 

"It was a present from Tony Stark to him." said the Doctor thoughtfully as he looked at the black Audi and softly touched it for a moment and then saw Ben and James looking at her in disbelief. 

"How do you know that?" asked Ben curiously. 

The Doctor had that smile on again, that small smile that she wore when she knew something that others didn't but she couldn't relieve it "Burden of being a Timelord." 

Then the Doctor shook her head and looked at Ben and James "Don't ask Peter who he got this from. It's important that you don't ask him." 

"Okay. Okay. Yeah." said Ben and James nodding at the intensity that the Doctor exuded. 

"Where is he? Where is Parker Peter Peter Parker?" asked the Doctor as she looked at her watch impatiently and stamped her foot as she kicked the tire and then groaned at the pain "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual beginning to a road trip!" 

"Are you alright? If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were nervous." said Ben in concern as he looked at her, putting his hand on her shoulder. 

"Of course, I'm nervous. Can I tell you something in confidence and you must promise not to judge or scold me for what I have done?" asked the Doctor meekly and nervously and James groaned while Ben nodded. 

"Really? If this road trip ends up being like the time where you thought my stag night meant bringing a real live stag to my party -" began James in a tone of a man who had suffered a great deal but his complaining was stopped by a sharp jab to the ribs by his husband's elbow. 

"I may have meddled a little bit in certain aspects regarding Mr. Parker's love life." said the Doctor nervously as he looked at James and Ben. 

"A little?" asked James rolling his eyes, hoping that this time little meant little. 

"In what aspects?" asked Ben curiously. 

"Well, in all the aspects." replied the Doctor with a small nervous smile, making both of them groan "I may have deceived Mr. Parker saying that we are going to sight see Washington D.C. when really I am planning a trip to reunite him with his ex lover MJ in Yale!"

"This. Is. -" began Ben looking at the Doctor who was smiling brightly at them. 

"The Best Idea In The Universe! Yay Doctor!" yelled the Doctor cheering as she waved her hands in the air.

"So Terrible and I Cannot Believe You Would Do This!" hissed Ben as he took the Doctor by her collar. 

"Can't you?" asked James snarkily and he was rewarded by glares both by his husband and his friend. 

"What? It's the Doctor reuniting two lovers that distance and time has torn apart!" said the Doctor removing herself from the hold that Ben had on her and bowed majestically "Call me, The Matchmaker! The Love Doctor!" 

"I cannot believe you would do something so rash, irrational and irresponsible!" groaned James as he looked at the Doctor wanting to shoot her stupid fez. 

"Can't you?" asked Ben snidely and James rolled his eyes at his husband. 

"Doctor, you can't just go meddling and messing in peoples love lives. That's not how it works." said Ben firmly as he looked at the Doctor like she was a toddler who had broken a vase "I know you think you're some kind of god with the power of time and space but this - this is a boy's life you're messing with. It's a boy's heart." 

"That's not what I think and that's not why I'm doing this." said the Doctor looking away from Ben and James. 

"You have to give them time and space to heal." said Ben looking at the Doctor who had turned away from him "Doctor, he needs time to process everything that has happened -"

"Time!" exclaimed the Doctor with a huff of sarcastic laughter "Time and space. It never did any good to anyone, especially two people in love!" 

"Doctor." said Ben softly as he placed his hand on her cheek "Doctor, think of how Peter would feel? You're lying to him." 

"It's not lying if it's to make someone happy!" said the Doctor protesting and arguing with Ben who sighed and then after a moment of silence the Doctor admitted a fact that made Ben and James very happy "I care about the boy. I try not to but I admit I have grown fond of Peter Parker. And I can't stand to watch him cry!" 

Ben and James would crow in happiness at the Doctor admitting her emotions but they looked at her in understanding. Because the Doctor had come to New York city to solve a puzzle but he had found Peter with his brilliant smile and bright smile and kind heart that had softened the Doctor and made her lower her guard. 

"And if there is the slightest chance for him to be happy with MJ, I'm willing to risk it." said the Doctor looking down at the ground and then meeting her friends eyes. 

She thought there were going to be objections and arguing but to her surprise Ben and James nodded "Okay. We're in." 

"Really?" asked the Doctor, surprised that they would give in so easily.

"Yes. It's a terrible plan but you clearly care about Peter and you want him to be happy so we're with you all the way." said Ben taking the Doctor's hand and squeezing it, making the Doctor smile at him fondly. 

"Yep. Let's go and reunite a couple that will get us into trouble but hopefully we will get out of it like we always do!" said James cheerfully making the Doctor and Ben laugh in amusement and fondness. 

"That's the spirit!" said the Doctor happily as she smiled at Ben and James, thankful for them.

"Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late!" said Peter who had just arrived and the Doctor shot James and Ben a look to keep their plan a secret and they nodded "Aunt May was fussing about everything! Is everything ready?" 

"Yes!" said Ben as he helped Peter put the suitcase in the trunk of the car and then shut it and looked at them and asked the most important question in the universe "So who is driving?" 

Peter put his hand up but he was promptly ignored as the Doctor volunteered "I am. Everyone get in." 

"What? You can drive a car?" asked James, his eyes bulging out his head because he thought that the only thing the Doctor could drive was the TARDIS. And she couldn't even pilot the TARDIS properly. 

"Of course, I can drive a car. I'm older than you!" replied the Doctor offended at James' remarks "Karl Benz was my mate, you see and I accidentally gave him the idea for gasoline powered internal combustion engine -" 

"Do you have driving license?" asked Ben curiously from the Doctor who failed his test at piloting the TARDIS and threw its manual to supernova because he disagreed with it. He had a really bad feeling that if he let the Doctor drive, they were all going to die. "Are you sure that you can get us there without killing us?" 

"Just trust me!" said the Doctor in frustration at how his friends did not trust her "Get into the car all of you! Time is running out and we're going to be late!"

The Doctor got into the driving seat and Ben got into the front seat to supervise the Doctor while Peter and James sat in the back. The Doctor adjusted mirrors and put on her seat belt and turned on the ignition "Okay, it's been a while since I've done this. But I think I know what I'm doing." 

"We're all going to die!" wailed James as he took in deep breaths dramatically "Embrace your oncoming doom!"

The car screeched as it began and the three of them yelled as the Doctor took a few unruly turns before gaining control of the vehicle and then smiled at them "Well, that went well. I'm choosing the music." 

As the Doctor fiddled with the radio, James, Ben and Peter leaned back into their seats thanking their lucky stars that they weren't dead yet and the Doctor chose the musical that James and Ben dreaded as their road trip music and 'My Favorite Things' sung by Julie Andrews began to play.

James groaned from the back "We're not listening to The Sound of Music again, Doctor!" 

"Hey, it's my turn to choose the music!" snapped the Doctor who was clearly done with James' banter with her "I let you choose the music last time and you chose Panic At The Disco! So, we're sure not listening to your music, James! Now it's my turn so respect my choice!" 

"Please just look at the road." piped in Peter helpfully and hopeful that they would reach their destination but it didn't seem likely at how James and the Doctor had started quarreling and how the Doctor was lost in the music as she started singing. 

"RAINDROPS ON ROSES AND WHISKERS ON KITTENS, BRIGHT COPPER KETTLES AND WARM WOOLEN MITTENS!!!" began the Doctor singing along with Julie Andrews as she put her heart and soul into it, acting it out and dancing along while Ben looked at the road in fright, James groaned at hearing the impersonation that he had heard a million times before and Peter looked fascinated by it. BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRINGSSS!!!! THESE ARE FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGSSS!!!" 

"Holy motherfucker, Doctor, watch the fucking road!" exclaimed Ben who gasped as they avoided almost colliding with a truck, while the Doctor's high pitched, energetic voice filled the car. 

"Watch your language, there is a child here!" reprimanded the Doctor in a hushed tone, nodding her head at Peter in the back.

"I'm not thirteen and I'm more mature than all of you here!" replied Peter in sassy exasperation as he watched the three adults squabble. 

"You have no taste!" said James rolling his eyes at the Doctor who was dancing as she drove the car. 

"The Sound of Music is a masterpiece, James!" retorted the Doctor smartly and sassily and Ben and Peter groaned knowing that the banter was about to begin and they were trapped in it.

"Both of you are idiots who have no taste at all!" snapped Ben who was getting impatient and frustrated by how her best friend and her husband always got into arguments about their idiotic music tastes. 

"I SIMPLY REMEMBER MY FAVORITE THINGS AND THEN I DON'T FEEEEELLLL" sang the Doctor getting carried away with the music as she drove through the streets "SOOOO BAAAADDD!!!" 

"The road, Doctor!" yelled Ben and Peter as they avoided another obstacle narrowly in their way. 

"This is exactly why letting the Doctor choose the music was a bad idea! You know she gets carried away." complained James petulantly and knowingly with a smirk. 

"Oh for fucks sake!" exclaimed Ben in exasperation as he looked at the Doctor "Pull over." 

"No." 

"I'll buy you gummy bears." said Ben with a sweet smile.

"Okay." said the Doctor as he pulled over the car and went to the back and sat with Peter "Hello, Peter." 

"Hi Doctor." greeted Peter with a bright and amused smile "You know for being such a brilliant teacher, you are a lousy driver." 

"No, I'm not." said the Doctor defensively and then saw that Ben was getting in the driver's seat and her eyes widened in despair "Ever seen Ben drive, Peter?" 

"No?" replied Peter in confusion as he shook his head as he looked at Ben and James who were putting on their seat belts. 

"Neither did his driving instructor." replied the Doctor in terror as he took in a deep breath and looked at Peter "Close your eyes, breath deeply and embrace your impending death." 

"Oh shut up!" said Ben rolling his eyes at the Doctor as he tossed a bag of gummy bears to her. 

"Your seat belts make you feel safe and secure, right?" asked Doctor with a small smile and Peter nodded "It's an illusion. No amount of straps can save us from the horror of Ben's driving. We're all going to die." 

"Peter, don't listen to her. She's exaggerating." said Ben with a kind smile, making Peter feel better. 

The Doctor popped a gummy bear into her mouth and shook her head "Pray to whatever Gods you believe in. If there are an atheists among us, you can pray to science." 

Peter looked puzzled as he looked at the Doctor closing her eyes in terror and bowing her head as if in prayer and then when he looked in the front, he saw that James was also muttering prayers with his hands crossed and felt fear creep in. But it was already too late for that because Ben had started driving. At first, it wasn't that bad, it was quite peaceful and Peter wondered why James and the Doctor had been exaggerating. They listened to some random music that Ben had chosen that was feel good and happy and Peter conversed mostly with the Doctor who shared her gummy bears with him and sometimes they would all talk with each other, joking and laughing about their jobs but making sure to steer clear of Peter's breakup with MJ. The Doctor let James and Ben share anecdotes from their lives at home, school and family, how they had met and fallen in love and they even told the story of how the Doctor had bought a real stag for James' stag night, making Peter laugh uproariously. 

Everything was calm and good until a car that wasn't watching where it was going almost collided into them if Ben hadn't pulled the breaks in time. Ben turned absolutely mad as he opened the window and began yelling at the idiotic driver "OI? WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO DRIVE?" 

"WATCH WHERE YOU WERE GOING, DICKHEAD!" yelled Ben unleashing his wrath on the unfortunate driver who was apologizing "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM YOU FUCKER! THIS IS A RESIDENTIAL AREA! THERE ARE KIDS HERE! THEY COULD HAVE GOT HURT! ARE YOU STUPID OR DO YOU WORK AT IT?"

"This is what I meant." said the Doctor holding onto Peter as she raised her eyebrows at the very colorful vocabulary of Ben "Benjamin, could you at least stop the car if you are going to yell at people?" 

"JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!" screamed Peter as the car swerved to a side and he fell onto the Doctor who caught him. 

"NOT EVEN GOD CAN SAVE US!" yelled the Doctor trying to steady herself and Peter among the commotion and chaos that was occurring. 

"YOU ALMOST RAN OVER THAT KID WITH A DOG!" yelled James who was supporting his husband with no regard for the wheel. "YOU PATHETIC, POOR, HORRIBLE EXCUSE OF A HUMAN BEING!" 

"GET OVER HERE AND WE WILL SETTLE THIS!" yelled James and Ben challengingly as they looked at the offender 

"I'M GOING TO DIE!" wailed Peter as he looked around the car and started banging on the windows. 

"NO! NOT TODAY! NOBODY DIES!" yelled the Doctor as she lunged towards the wheel and quickly and smartly drove the car away from obstacles in the road and parked them safely on the street, making Peter let out a breath of relief he hadn't known that he was holding.

Everyone was silent for a moment as the Doctor and Peter breathed in and out in relief and glared at James and Ben who raised their hands in innocent defense "I know it seems bad but -"

"Ice cream?" asked the Doctor faintly, feeling like she needed to get out of the car immediately.

"What?" asked Peter, James and Ben incredulously. 

"Ice cream. Let's have some ice cream and cool off." said the Doctor as she quickly opened the door and stepped out of the car and looked at the ice cream parlor in front of her. 

The Doctor took off her fez as she managed to get her messy hair back in order and stepped into the parlor with Peter and nodded at him "Get whatever you want kid. It's on Ben and James." 

"Okay." said Peter who seemed to be in shock that he had survived but he went ahead and ordered for himself. 

The Doctor waited till Ben and James came into the ice cream parlor and looked at them seriously and darkly and before Ben and James could speak, she spoke up "No. No, this time, you listen to me. You call me irresponsible and irrational and yes - I admit, sometimes it's true. But today, what you did was more than irresponsible. It was dangerous. You risked Peter Parker's life without thinking. He could have died today if I didn't stop the car in time because you were too busy being angry so -" The Doctor took a deep breath to calm herself down and then she spoke more softly "So - I want you to know that I can't let that happen because I have a duty of care towards Peter Parker." 

"I'm sorry." said Ben, not knowing what else to say because it was true and he was ashamed. 

"I know." said the Doctor looking at Ben in the way that made him feel small. 

"We didn't mean to -" began James as he bit his lip anxiously. 

"I know. You're only human." replied the Doctor looking at both of them and they both felt as if she was disappointed in them and then gave them a small smile "Now let's go buy ice cream and you pay for it. I don't have any money."

They laughed light hardheartedly and ordered ice cream and ate as they listened to Peter talk about MJ and how much he missed her. The Doctor looked at Peter's small smile and wondered how long it would last. How many years he would live with that smile. Would the Doctor be there to see him smile like that for years? 

No, she wouldn't. 

She knew she wouldn't because in the end she ran away in her blue box leaving everyone behind with the memories of her. 

The Doctor didn't want to think about the day that she would get in her blue box and leave Peter Parker behind so she quickly finished her ice cream and along with Ben and James. This time Ben and James sat behind in the car and she got in the driver's seat and Peter got in the front seat. 

"So how are you feeling today?" asked the Doctor as she started driving this time more carefully as she looked at Peter who was looking out of the window but she saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Like I nearly got killed with a bunch of childish adults." replied Peter smartly as he rolled his eyes.

The Doctor huffed in laughter "I don't understand. Is that good or bad?"

It was Peter's turn to laugh "You are really funny." 

"Funny. I like funny. Funny is good." said the Doctor with a smile at Peter and then asked "What do you mean funny?" 

"It's like - well - should I speak honestly?" asked Peter carefully as he looked at the Doctor.

The Doctor smirked "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well - it's like - you are a young woman but you have eyes of an old, ancient person. And you don't exactly blend in and fit in with the rest of us." began Peter conversationally, airing out all the thoughts he had about his Professor "Sometimes I think you've lived forever, for hundreds and hundreds of years but it's impossible because you look so young. With the way you speak - well, most of the time, it's wise and intelligent but some of the time, you're very silly, the way you speak and behave isn't normal - it's mad. And you're - you're different from other Professors. They don't care about the students. Not really. They just come to class, teach and go. But you really care about us and about what you teach. About science. You love it. You're kind. You could have flat out refused Professor Hawkins but you didn't because you're kind. You don't have to bother to come and fix up the kitchen so Aunt May won't have to bother herself - but you do it because you're kind. You don't have to tutor me and walk me home and comfort me and take me on this road trip to cheer me up but you do it because you're good and you're kind." 

There was silence between them and Peter looked to see a puzzled and emotional expression on the Doctor's face as if she was trying to figure something out and then she finally asked "Is that what you really think of me?" 

"Yes." said Peter firmly, believing it with all his heart. 

"You shouldn't." said the Doctor blinking back the tears that had come to her eyes and swallowing the lump of emotion that had formed in her throat "I'm not who you think I am. I'm not a good person. I'm not a hero." 

"Is that what you think of yourself?" asked Peter softly as he looked at the Doctor with a small smile. 

"Yes." replied the Doctor firmly, believing it with all her hearts. 

"You're wrong." said Peter resolutely and stubbornly. "Maybe you might not be a hero to yourself and it might be hard to see the good in yourself but to me - well - I wouldn't say you are hero. I'd just say you're a kind woman with bad fashion sense." 

Doctor laughed in spite of all the emotions she was feeling "I can live with that." 

"Good." said Peter with a bright smile and the Doctor smiled at Peter and then wondered how the couple in the back was doing because it had been silent for some time "How are you two doing? James, Ben, everything all right - OH MY PRECIOUS FEZ -" 

James and Ben stopped snogging heavily and looked at the Doctor "What? What's up?" 

"The stress levels you are giving me right now is what's up!" said the Doctor in frustration, making Peter chuckle in amusement "Seat belts on and no snogging! Those are the rules in this car!"

"Oh rules are meant to be broken." said Ben as he licked his lips and looked at James with a seductive smile that made James chuckle. 

"No they aren't! Of course, they aren't! Who told you that?" asked the Doctor indignantly not wanting to have snogging companions. "Out! Out! James, you're driving!" 

"Why?" groaned James as Ben sulked at the Doctor.

"Because I said so and my whole body is feeling cramped up and you don't want an annoyed and cramped up Doctor, do you?" asked the Doctor as she made Peter get out of the car and get into the back while James got into the driver's seat and the Doctor got into the front seat. 

"I hate you." said James as he glared at the Doctor and began driving. 

"Yes, I know." replied the Doctor as she smirked and then stretched her long legs and then found that it was impossible to do so "Who invented snogging anyway? It's not a very varied activity is it? It's just goes on and on and on." 

"Doctor, please don't act like you haven't snogged anyone." said Ben rolling his eyes at his best friend. 

The Doctor continued to talk and James and the Doctor fell into a friendly banter and Peter looked at Ben who was looking at the Doctor with a fond smile "How long have you been friends with the Doctor?" 

"Two years." answered Ben easily with a smile at the memory of the TARDIS crashing onto him while he was jogging and a woman popping out of the box and asking him where she was. "But it feels like we've known each other forever." 

"How did you become friends?" asked Peter curiously as he looked at Ben.

"Um - it's really not the normal way friendships begin. I mean - I didn't meet her at high school like I met James." said Ben thinking about how a woman dressed in a dark black suit had climbed up and fallen out of the blue box. He thought how the blue box had at that very day, very moment chosen out of all the lives in the world to crash into his "She fell into my life. Literally. And then it all started. We became friends quickly - I mean, I don't make friends very easily but the Doctor, she was very easy to trust. We became friends very quickly and started having adventures." 

"Adventures?" asked Peter confused and curious "Like what kind of adventures?" 

"Well, we travel all around the world. Everywhere we want to go, we go." said Ben, trying to answer Peter's question discretely.

"And what's it like, the traveling?" asked Peter smiling at how Ben's face lit up.

"It's amazing. It's beautiful. Every place we go, we see wonders." said Ben truthfully and he knew by the Doctor's small twitch of her lips that she was listening to the conversation even though she was bantering with James. "The traveling is the best thing there is! All I know is that James and I are going to travel with the Doctor forever!"

"It sounds awesome." said Peter with a smile, wondering of all these adventures that they go on "Is it easy?" 

"Is what easy?" asked Ben curiously with a wide smile. 

"Loving the Doctor? Being her best friend?" asked Peter as he raised his eyebrows and nodded at the woman who was shaking her head at something James said "Because you must love her a great deal to leave everything you know behind and travel with her all around the world." 

"Of course, I love her. I love the Doctor, she's my best friend. She was the best maid at my wedding." said Ben taken aback at the surprising question and smiled affectionately and softly at the Doctor "The Doctor is the universe. She's brilliant and beautiful and magnificent and sometimes if you get to close, you will get hurt. And there are times, where she lies, she hides things from us, she doesn't tell us everything, she is reckless, she puts others in danger, she is insensitive and bad tempered." 

The Doctor had stiffened at listening to all those words and Ben saw that. Peter listened intently and intrigued and then remarked, a bit disappointed "She sounds awful." 

"Well, to be really truthful, she sometimes is. Unbearable." said Ben nodding his head and saw that the Doctor had slumped sadly on her seat at those words and smiled brilliantly at the woman he cared about and then at Peter "But I promise you Peter Parker, the Doctor is so worth it. I know it may seem like sometimes she does things that are hurtful and uncaring, but the truth is that woman has gone through so much pain and suffering and yet she has so much love and kindness in her hearts. I mean - heart. I want you to remember that, Peter." 

"I will." said Peter nodding his head solemnly, and Ben looked at the Doctor and saw her smiling softly and warmly. 

James' and the Doctor's banter continued and finally Peter got tired of it as he snapped at both of them "Will you two stop fighting?" 

"Not until James' takes back about what he said about my co - piloting abilities!" exclaimed the Doctor huffing as she folded her arms. 

"I won't and I'll say it again!" said James infuriatingly as he shook his head "They are the worst!" 

"Oh, great. We're here." said Ben quickly before the Doctor could come up with another quick and clever remark about how the Daleks could drive better than James. 

They all stepped out of the car and Peter's eyes widened in shock and horror at where they were. The Doctor, Ben and James exchanged anxious glances because they hadn't planned on what to do after getting here. Peter looked at the Yale University filled with students and professors and knew that among them was MJ right now because according to her schedule, she was free now and this would be the time, she would normally call him if they were together. His heart thudded painfully and realized that the Doctor, Ben and James had driven him here to let him talk to MJ. 

He turned around to see three adults smiling at him anxiously and the Doctor said "Surprise?!" 

Peter stared at the Doctor in absolute and utter shock and disbelief and the Doctor began to walk through Yale as she started to speak "Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution."

"What are you, Wikipedia?" asked James snarkily, rolling his eyes at the Doctor.

"Got a better idea?" asked Ben rolling his eyes at James. 

"You absolute and utter - why would you do this?" yelled Peter as he dashed towards the Doctor and shoved her angrily "Why would you meddle in my life? I don't want this! I thought this was a road trip but you were trying to get me and MJ back together?"

"Told you it won't work." said James quickly but clearly concerned for Peter and the Doctor.

"Yes, thank you very much, now is not the time." replied the Doctor who was watching Peter turn very red in anger. 

"How could you! How can you think - you can't do this!" yelled Peter, not caring whether he was gaining the attention of people around him "I want to go home now!" 

"Peter, maybe you should just talk to MJ." intervened Ben gently "I mean, you miss her and communication is the key -" 

"NO!" yelled Peter as he glared at the Doctor angrily "Don't you dare protect her because she's your best friend!" 

"It's okay, Ben. Peter's fine. He's angry. He's fine." said the Doctor softly and gently, gesturing for her friends to back off "Come on then, Peter. Get it all off your chest!" 

"You are mean and cruel! This is my life, Doctor! I know you think you know everything but you don't!" yelled Peter, tears streaming down his face "I thought - I thought we were friends! I thought I could trust you!" 

"We are friends. You can trust me." said the Doctor gently, in a voice that someone would use to talk to a wounded animal. 

"No, I can't! Friends don't do what you just do to me! You betrayed my trust! You lied to me and bought to me to the last place where I want to be!" yelled Peter as he looked at the Doctor who seemed calm and composed and that infuriated him so much that he shoved her again but she didn't fall down "You were right. You aren't a good person. You are - I hate you and you can fuck off! I don't ever want to see you again!" 

"She just wanted you to be happy." said James softly, defending the Doctor "The Doctor just cared too much and she couldn't watch you heartbroken." 

"Fuck off! Do I look happy?" asked Peter as he wiped his tears away and then asked the ultimate question from the woman who looked calm but her eyes looked distressed "Why did you do it?" 

"Because she hates endings." said an unfamiliar voice behind the Doctor and Peter momentarily stopped crying to see a lady with funny curly unruly hair and sinfully red lips smiling at him. 

The same lady who was in the photographs. 

"Who are you?" asked Peter taken aback in surprise at the appearance of this new woman who definitely did not look solid enough to be a human "Are you a ghost?" 

"Do you believe in ghosts?" asked the lady with a playful smile.

"No." scoffed Peter rolling his eyes.

"Then I'm not a ghost." said the lady with a laugh, beautiful and melodic, a wonderful song that shouldn't end but sadly did "I'm Professor River Song." 

"I'm Peter Parker." said Peter, feeling like the polite thing to do was to introduce himself to this lady who seemed to be a ghost. 

"Oh, I have to tell you that right now, the connection we are having is psychic. You are speaking to me with your mind, so you are looking like a bit of an idiot who has seen a ghost." said River Song with a laugh as she looked around the university.

"Peter?" asked Ben waving his hand in front of his face "Are you alright?" 

"Doctor, has Peter gone into some sort of mental shutdown?" asked James in concern as he looked at Peter. 

Peter looked to see the three adults looking at him in utmost concern and he pointed behind the Doctor to where River was "Can't you see her?" 

"Who?" asked Ben and James in confusion as they looked to where Peter was pointing and only saw students and professors. 

"The lady with the hair like a hurricane and the funny name." said Peter urgently as he pointed again at River Song and for a moment he could feel the Doctor freeze next to him and he looked at the Doctor for help "Doctor, you can see her, can't you?" 

"See who? Parker, there's no one there." replied the Doctor casually, shaking her head at him. 

"But she's there! I swear, I promise, Doctor." began Peter but the Doctor shook her head. 

"None of us can see anything, Mr. Parker." said the Doctor solemnly and Ben and James nodded "I think it's best if we gave Peter a little time to settle down." 

"They can't see me. Only you can." said River knowingly as she took a step closer to Peter Parker. 

"And why can't the Doctor see you?" asked Peter incredibly confused and puzzled. "She can always see things. She is very clever." 

"Bless her. The Doctor can always see me. I'm always here to here. And she always hears me and she always listens." said River Song with a bright smile but she looked sad. 

"Then why is she lying?" asked Peter as she looked at the Doctor who was looking at him but then quickly turned away when she saw him looking. It occurred to Peter that it might not be him that she was looking at but River Song. 

"Because it hurts her too much. To acknowledge my presence and to talk to me." said River as she looked at the Doctor affectionately and sadly "I died a long time ago, saving her life and I faded away a long time ago too." 

"Then why are you here?" asked Peter not knowing what was going on but still curious. 

"Because, at the moments, the Doctor needs me the most, I will always be there for her." said River with a smile that made Peter feel like Doctor was the luckiest woman alive "Look at her. At this moment, she's struggling to tell you that she did this because she cares about you and she didn't want you to cry anymore. She did this because she believed that you and MJ has the slightest chance of having a relationship again. She doesn't like endings." 

"She lied to me." said Peter shaking his head at the Doctor.

"Rule one, dear. The Doctor always lies." said River with a grin and then raised her eyebrows at him "Besides, you haven't been entirely truthful with her yourself, have you, Spiderman?" 

Peter looked at her in shock and disbelief but she only winked at him "Don't worry, I'm dead. Dead girls tell no tales." 

There was silence between them for a moment and then River smiled at him "Look, there's your lover. Go. Talk to her." 

"I can't." said Peter shaking his head and sweating as he saw MJ walk across the campus and he thought she looked absolutely beautiful "I'm not ready." 

"Just do it." said River rolling her eyes at him and then looked at the Doctor and her expression became disbelieving "What in the name of sanity - is that a fez on her head?" 

"Yeah. She was wearing it the whole day." said Peter laughing at how the woman looked murderously at the offending object sitting on the Doctor's head. 

"Why don't you just shoot it?" asked River making Peter laugh again and then River looked at him solemnly "Peter, if the Doctor knows one thing, it's regret being her constant companion. Do not let it be yours."

Before Peter could say anything, River vanished and Peter looked at where she stood for a few moments and then looked around to see if anyone else noticed. The Doctor who was looking at the students, was wearing a regretful and hurt expression and Peter knew that she had seen River talk to him and vanish. 

Peter saw MJ and he took a deep breath. So many thoughts were running through his head and then he walked towards the Doctor who was waiting for him "So, shall we take you home then?" 

"No. I've changed my mind." said Peter in determination as he looked at MJ who was checking her phone "I'm staying. I don't want to have any regrets."

"Okay. Good luck." said the Doctor with a small and happy smile as she patted Peter on his shoulder and watched him leave towards MJ. 

The Doctor watched Peter approach MJ and MJ look at Peter in surprise and disbelief and then she looked towards the spot where River had been there, talking to Peter. It hurt to see her again but River, her River, always with her selflessness and strength had understood the Doctor and explained her actions to Peter better than the Doctor could have done. Even in death, River Song was still helping her out when she struggled. 

He joined Ben and James and after a few moments of chatting, Ben nodded towards a direction with a brilliant smile "I think your plan worked, Doctor." 

Doctor and James looked to where Ben nodded and saw that Peter and MJ were kissing and the Doctor smiled happily and James sighed "Awww Doctor! This is so sweet!" 

"What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic." replied the Doctor with a happy smile as she shrugged, feeling good that Peter Parker was happy.


	12. Chapter 12

Peter Parker crept into NYU, slowly and quietly as he looked around the darkness that surrounded. He was back from the five days, five blissful and happy days that he had spent with MJ at Yale. Of course, he had missed the lectures but the Doctor had put in a word for him with the faculty and he was fine. MJ and him were back together and they were stronger than ever. Peter smiled as he thought of the moments he spent with MJ, telling her how much he loved her and how she apologized for breaking up with him. Peter expected the Doctor, Ben and James to leave them but the three of them had stayed for five days, letting Peter and MJ enjoy their time together and finally taking Peter home safely after a tearful goodbye. Peter had introduced the Doctor to MJ, who was delighted to meet her and he was very glad that the Doctor and MJ got along very well together. Peter had begrudgingly forgiven the Doctor for meddling and was glad when she nodded and gave him her approval regarding MJ because that meant a lot coming from her. The Doctor, Ben, and James had mostly stayed out of the way letting Peter and MJ spend time together but all of them did have dinner and walk around Connecticut together.

Now Peter was back home and he was investigating a lead regarding suspicious activity occurring in NYU. He had kept his eye out during lectures but decided that it was best to investigate as Spiderman at night. He had looked into the CCTV cameras to switch them off, to find that they had already been closed off. That meant that someone was already there before him and he needed to find out who. He wanted to know what was going on and tonight he was going to find out what.

As he quickly walked and swung through the university, he saw a figure in the darkness climbing down the stairs. It looked like a woman with a gun and Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to find a better place to hide so she couldn't see him and good observation place as well. He quickly swung down to the bookshelves and hid behind there. Unfortunately, he stumbled onto two people who were hiding there too and a metal arm grabbed him and someone pointed a gun at him before he could do anything.

It was Bucky and Sam Wilson, the current Captain America. 

"What the hell, kid?" hissed Sam as he put the gun down, looking at Peter disbelievingly who was hiding behind the Spiderman mask.

"You wouldn't let me work your cases with you." whispered Peter fiercely, because he had every right to be here just as much as them. He was an Avenger too. 

"Go away!" hissed Bucky who was growing impatient at the fact that Peter had interrupted the mission "You have interrupted my mission!" 

"Excuse me! You interrupted my mission!" replied Peter, his sass ever growing probably because of how much time he spent around the Doctor, Ben and James. 

The woman heard their voices and shoved the bookshelf aside, revealing them to her and they readied themselves to fight as Sam growled "This is your fault, kid!" 

That very moment, the elevator beeped and three people walked out, out of breath and then looked at the sight before them in disbelief and surprise. Peter's jaw dropped when he saw who the three people were. 

The woman was taken aback in shock and the woman that walked out of the elevator took out what looked like a screwdriver and smiled at the strange woman with a wink "Hello. I'm the Doctor. Have you seen anything weird or unusual today?"

The woman growled as she pointed her gun and shot at them but all three of them ducked expertly as if they were used to getting shot every day "I'll take that as a yes. Run for your lives!" 

Bucky, Sam and Peter took that as good advice as they ran from the woman into the elevator with the three strangers and the woman quickly closed the elevator with a smile and pointed her screw driver which lit up at the end at the buttons. 

"Okay, I've made sure the elevator goes down so we can explore the basement and I'm sure these gentlemen can go wherever -" began the Doctor and then when she finished sonicking the elevator, she saw that there was a gun pointed at the three of them and Ben and James had their hands up "Ah. Blimey. Bloody Americans." 

"Don't shoot. Please do not shoot." said James with a nice smile and Peter felt confused and helpless "We are nice. We've got our hands up." 

"Did you just say we are nice to this idiot who is going to shoot us?" asked Ben sassily looking at his husband in disbelief.

"Yes because calling him an idiot works!" replied James glaring at Ben who rolled his eyes.

"Well, please point a gun at us if it makes you feel comfortable but I can assure you there is no need for that." said the Doctor putting her hands up, rolling her eyes at the man who was pointing a gun at her and then looked at the man with the metal arm with raised eyebrows "Why aren't you pointing a gun at me?" 

"Oh great." muttered James with a sigh "Asking the right questions!" 

"Because you don't like guns." said the man in such a knowing voice as he looked at the Doctor with shock and disbelief that the Doctor furrowed her eyebrows at how the man could have possibly known that. It didn't sound like a lucky guess, it sounded like someone who spoke from experience. Someone who did know her very well. 

"That's enough. Who are you?" asked Sam impatiently and taken aback at how these three didn't seem to fear for their lives like normal criminals did. 

"I'm the Doctor, this is Ben and James." said the Doctor politely with a lovely smile "And who are you?" 

"You don't know us? Haven't you heard of the Avengers?" asked Sam in disbelief, because everybody in New York city knew them. 

"Well, I've heard of them." said the Doctor airily and then her eyes fell onto a person dressed in red and blue and she grinned brightly "Oh Spiderman! Hello! It's so nice to meet you in person finally! I have to thank you for saving my life! You're an amazing hero!" 

"Oh no problem! I'm glad I could help." replied Peter Parker, shaking the Doctor's hand as she smiled at him brilliantly.

"Look. I know this might be a bad time but can we take a picture with you Spiderman?" asked Ben reluctantly with a wide smile "We are huge fans! We love you so much!" 

"Sure -" began Peter, who was happy to take a selfie with his friends but Sam and Bucky were not having it. 

Sam snapped "No! No one's taking pictures! Who are you and what are you doing here?" 

"Alright. We told you who we are." said the Doctor taking charge of the situation "We're here because we're investigating signals of suspicious alien activity that the location leads to here." 

"Alien activity?" asked Sam curiously and Doctor wondered curiously why the man with the metal arm hadn't said a word to her.

"Yes. Two weeks ago, I came to New York. My sonic screw driver showed me readings of unusually high alien readings that led here and I decided to take a look." said the Doctor truthfully and conversationally and Peter's heart lurch at the confession of truth "Why are you here?" 

"We suspected an alien convict is hiding in New York. It's last known location was tracked here." said Sam solemnly to the Doctor "So we came to take care of it." 

"By take care of it, do you mean kill it?" asked the Doctor, her grip on the sonic screwdriver tightening. 

"If need be." replied Sam with a firm nod. 

"Why?" asked the Doctor rolling her eyes at Sam, making him feel annoyed "Just talk to it and tell it to go away." 

The elevator dinged as it came to the basement and then the Doctor waved at them cheerfully "Okay, this is our stop. Nice meeting you but we got to go."

The elevator doors opened and the Doctor stepped out with Ben and James and saw a dark black wall with two doors. James and Ben blinked and then in a few moments, saw the two doors on the old dark wall.

"I don't see anything." said Spiderman in confusion as he stared at the wall. 

"Perception filter. It stops you from noticing the most important things that are right in front you." replied the Doctor softly as she looked at the door curiously and then looked at Spiderman, Sam and Bucky "Use your eyes. Really use them. Notice everything." 

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Sam a few moments later and Bucky and Spiderman gasped at seeing the two doors appear in front of them in the black wall "How did it do that? Is that magic?" 

"Please. That is silly." scoffed the Doctor rolling her eyes at the three men who called themselves heroes "It's a perception filter. Stops you from noticing. Is anyone listening to me?" 

"So what do we do?" asked Ben looking at the Doctor who put her hand gently on the door knob and offered her other hand to Ben who took it with a smile. 

"I have absolutely no idea." replied the Doctor with a mischievous and cheeky smile that made Ben chuckle and James smile and the Doctor opened the door and all of them stepped into a dark and misty room that was incredibly cold. 

"God, it's so cold in here!" said Sam as he shivered in cold and looked at the Doctor who didn't seem the least bit affected as she waved her sonic screwdriver in the air. 

"The readings here are getting stronger - it's broadcasting the power to - well, outer space." muttered the Doctor as she looked at her sonic screwdriver "But what power? Where is the power? If I could just get a lock onto where it's broadcasting to -"

"Why are we even here?" complained Sam as he looked around the worn down, broken place "I should shoot her in the head." 

"Don't." said Bucky immediately. It was almost pleading and Sam was surprise.

"Why?" asked Sam curiously as he looked at his friend.

"Because I trust her." said Bucky firmly, trust shining in his eyes. 

"You only met her moments ago!" protested Sam who shook his head at Bucky but he was surprised by how much trustworthiness Bucky placed in this strange woman that they had never met. 

"I've got a lock onto where the signal is broadcasting to -" yelled the Doctor in triumph but before she could say anything else Spiderman who was swinging around the room.

"Doctor, are those robots who are marching towards us a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Spiderman in confusion and the Doctor turned to see his worst enemy in silver, marching towards her. 

The Cybermen. 

Ben and James rushed towards the Doctor from where they had been exploring "Doctor, we found skulls of people, they were fried and - oh my God what is that?" 

"Cybermen." answered the Doctor fearfully as she pushed Ben and James towards the door and when she saw that Sam, Bucky and Spiderman were getting ready to fight them, she groaned and yelled "Don't you dare fight them! You can't beat them!"

"I don't take orders from you, lady!" yelled Sam as he started shooting along with Bucky and Spiderman shot his webs at the Cybermen but there were failing.

The Doctor gritted her teeth and when she saw Spiderman swinging near a Cyberman, she yelled in panic "Spiderman, don't you dare go near that Cyberman, they need brilliance and if you go near that thing, it will convert you!" 

Finally, a few moments later Sam, Bucky and Spiderman saw that nothing was working against the Cybermen and the Doctor who was absolutely furious dragged all three of them out of the room and locked the door quickly. When she saw James and Ben frozen and very still, she looked at them and yelled "What are you doing? Run!" 

"Doctor, don't blink." said Ben absolutely terrified as he stared at the Weeping Angel. 

The Doctor saw that they had opened the second door and now they were staring at an army of Weeping Angels who were ready to kill them and the Doctor's hands shook as she remembered the last time she had seen them. 

_"I just have to blink, right?"_

_"NO!"_

"Please. If you value your lives, just do exactly as I say." said the Doctor in a serious tone and everyone knew that she was not messing around "Keep your eyes on the angel, don't blink. Don't look into the eyes of the Angel. If you blink, you will be transported to the past and they will feed on the energy of all the remaining days that you could have lived."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Sam his voice shaking as he looked at those terrifying statues. 

"Because - a long time ago, in this very same city, I lost my best friends to these monsters!" began the Doctor softly and patiently and then ended yelling angrily and frustratedly and then breathed in very deeply "No more. I won't lose no more!" 

"Please. Do as she says!" pleaded Peter trustingly as he backed into the elevator dragging Sam and Bucky with his webs while keeping his eyes on the Angel.

"All of you, keep your eyes on the angels and back away into the elevator." said the Doctor softly and dangerously as he kept looking at the Angels, her anger bubbling and simmering, ready to pour out.

"Doctor." began Ben knowing what was about to happen, her best friend was about to get emotional and destroy. 

"It'll be fine, Ben. Trust me." replied the Doctor casually as everyone finally entered the elevator "Don't blink." 

"You try not blinking! It's bloody hard!" replied Peter, straining his eyes as he stared at the Weeping Angel.

"Hello. I hope you remember the last time we met." began the Doctor softly and dangerously with a small smirk as he glared at the Weeping Angels "The last time we met, you took someone very precious from me." 

_"Raggedy man, goodbye!"_

"I made you a promise in that cemetery. I hope you remember it. I know you remember it!" spat the Doctor angrily as her hands shook remembering Amelia vanishing before her, turning into a statue "I will fulfill every word of that promise! I will grind you into dust and ashes until you are nothing but a desert!" 

"Doctor, stop it!" said Ben in distress wanting to look at the Doctor but he couldn't take his eyes off the Angel.

"Doctor, you're being emotional." said James softly, knowing that the Doctor being emotional was never a good sign. "Come back into the elevator."

"Do statues feel fear? Do you feel fear? You should you know." said the Doctor confidently with a mad laugh "I am the Doctor and I will destroy you!" 

"Doctor, for gods sake! Will you stop talking like that?" yelled Ben trying his best not to blink feeling so much of concern to save his best friend as he stepped out of the elevator keeping his eyes on the Angel and then reached his hand and took the Doctor's hand. 

"Ben, what are you doing?" asked the Doctor as she felt Ben take her hand in his and squeeze it gently and comfortingly "Get back into the elevator!"

"Don't be emotional. I know you are sad and mad because the Weeping Angels remind you of who you lost but concentrate on keeping us alive." said Ben softly and calmly, feeling the Doctor's pulses thunder within her and he didn't have to look at her to know that she was trembling with fury. 

"Or what?" snarled the Doctor, still reeling from the loss of Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. 

_"DOCTOR!"_

_"Where the hell did that come from?"_

_"It's a survivor. But keep your eyes on it."_

_"Where is Rory?"_

_"Amelia, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."_

There was a moment of silence and Ben took a deep breath as he took a step towards the Angels and the Doctor's eyes widened in fright as Ben replied in a trembling voice as he said "Or I will blink." 

"Don't you dare!" replied the Doctor clenching her fists as she grabbed Ben's hand and dragged him away from the Angel "Don't you dare, Benjamin!" 

"And I'll blink too." replied James firmly "If Ben blinks, I'll follow him." 

"You wouldn't do that to me, Ben!" snapped the Doctor in disbelief and shock, but there was a hint of uncertainty. Because she couldn't go through that again. The Doctor couldn't bear the pain of losing Ben and James and living without them. Amy and Rory broke her hearts but Ben and James deaths would kill her. 

"How do you know?" asked Ben mockingly, flapping his hands in frustration "Maybe I've changed. Maybe I don't care about you or what you feel! Because you've been acting stupidly ever since you came to New York!" 

"But don't you see, Ben! They took Amy and Rory from me and now is the perfect chance for me to get rid of them all from this universe!" said the Doctor with a growl in her voice, sadness and suffering evident in her face "I let that Angel get away that day in the cemetery but no, not today! Today I avenge and honor Amy and Rory and everyone who died because of my mercy!" 

There was a dreadful silence that took over and even time seemed to freeze at the Doctor's furious and outrageous outburst. No one dared to speak or move. It was as if the universe had exploded and everything that they ever knew had been destroyed. The Doctor's anger and wrath was so powerful that they felt it move them even if they didn't know her and they hadn't done anything wrong. 

Ben sighed, feeling his best friend's anger and suffering shake this building and realized that she needed him now more than ever "Do you think Amy would like who you are becoming right now, Doctor? Do you think Amy and Rory would want you to insult their memory by taking revenge?" 

_"What's happened to you, Doctor? When did killing someone become an option?"_

The Doctor felt every emotion, love, pride, hurt, anger, hate, friendship overwhelm her as she broke down and started sobbing, her hearts breaking at who she had become. Ben was right. Amy and Rory would not be proud of who she had become. Amy and Rory, who had always been better than her would never want her to take revenge on their deaths but rather honor their lives by cherishing their memories and moving forward. Everyone stood still and Peter's heart hurt wanting to go comfort his teacher, mentor and friend but he knew that this was something that the Doctor needed to deal with alone. The Doctor's crying was loud like a child who had lost her best friend, a woman who had lost her family, a broken survivor who had lost her home. 

As the Doctor broke down, everyone stayed strong for her staring at the Weeping Angels who did not move during the Doctor's sobbing as she thought of the beautiful, brilliant, wonderful, amazing Ponds.

Ben and James stared at the Angels, feeling their hearts break at the Doctor's loud crying and then finally James reached out to the Doctor in a gentle and brotherly manner "Come along, Doctor. We need to go." 

The Doctor stood up and brushed away her tears and this time her expression was firm and dark, as if she hadn't cried at all "I'm the Doctor. And because I'm the Doctor, I will give you, the Weeping Angels and the Cybermen, once chance to get off this planet and stop whatever you are doing. If you don't, whatever happens next is your fault." 

Then the Doctor stepped back into the Elevator pushing James and Ben into the elevator first and then threw a round and dark ball that suddenly put up a strong force field. The elevator doors closed and the Doctor straightened her jacket as she pressed the button to the floor she wanted to go.

No one spoke for a while because they dare not ask this mysterious Doctor who was full of rage and suffering and then out of all of them, Spiderman asked quietly "Are you okay?" 

The Doctor smiled weakly but brightly as she hugged Spiderman, surprising him "Of course, I'm okay. I'm always okay. I'm the Queen of okay. No, forget that. That's a rubbish title." 

"Doctor" began Ben softly and slowly as he touched her arm gently "What did the force field do?" 

"Show mercy." replied the Doctor as she took her sonic screw driver out and smiled at Ben softly "It's a very powerful force field that should keep the Weeping Angels and The Cybermen away from us for about twenty minutes." 

"That's good. That's brilliant. So we are safe. Well, sort of." said James with a smile then his smile disappearing when he thought of those Cybermen and the Weeping Angels getting out. 

"Okay. I have questions. And you seem to be the one with answers." began Sam because what had happened tonight had confused him beyond compare "What the hell are those robots?" 

"Cybermen. They are cybernatically augmented humanoids. They physically and mentally convert humans and other humanoids into Cybermen because they believe that emotions like love and joy and creativity and kindness are weaknesses so they end up converting and upgrading humans into Cybermen." explained the Doctor knowingly thinking about Bill and then pushed that painful thought away. She did not need any more regret and pain piled over Amy and Rory today. 

"So basically if they upgrade us we become emotionless robots?" asked Peter grasping the essentials, simplifying it for Sam and Bucky who looked confused. 

"Exactly!" said the Doctor nodding her head in agreement. 

"And who are those Angels? Why did you tell us not to blink?" asked Sam in curiosity and then made the mistake of saying "They are only statues." 

"Only statues?" asked the Doctor with a dangerous growl that shocked Sam "Would you say it's only a bullet to the heart?" 

"Okay. Weeping Angels are the deadliest monsters of them all." said Ben taking charge, seeing that the Doctor was becoming emotional again "They are the only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely." 

"How?" asked Sam and Spiderman at the same time curiosity bubbling through them.

"The Weeping Angels are quantum locked, that means that they possess a natural and unique defense mechanism." began the Doctor explaining how the Weeping Angels killed so that they could be safe. So that what happened to Amy and Rory wouldn't happen to anyone else "This means that the angels can only move when no other living creature, including their own kind is looking at them. As soon as they are observed, they instantly turn into stone and cannot be killed." 

"That's madness!" exclaimed Sam wondering why he was believing every word that was coming out of this woman's mouth.

"It's the truth." replied the Doctor, wondering why the man with the metal arm was staring at her quietly but not asking her anything at all "You asked me why I told you not to blink? It's because the Angels have the ability to send other beings into the past. The moment you blink, you are zapped back in time by the Angel and this allows the Angels to feed on the potential time energy of what would have been the rest of their victim's lives."

"Why should we believe you?" asked Sam who was starting to believe this woman but he had been through too much to trust someone straight away. 

"Because I was zapped back into the past by an Angel once." said the Doctor with a small smile "And my best friends, the Angel got them too." 

"If you were in the past, how did you escape?" asked Sam curiously and Ben wanted to punch the man for asking the Doctor too many personal questions. "What happened to your best friends?" 

"I got lucky." replied the Doctor quietly looking at Sam "My best friends didn't." 

The elevator dinged open and the Doctor took an umbrella from the rack nearby as she walked and Spiderman caught up with her "So how do we defeat them?" 

The Doctor tossed the umbrella at Spiderman, puzzling the rest of them "With this umbrella. Do I always have to state the obvious?" 

Before anyone could say anything, James pointed in alarm at the man who had materialized through the vents and was now holding a rabbit "Doctor! That man - it sort of appeared through the vent!" 

_"Oh by the way, Doctor. Some man with a rabbit was asking for you. I told him to get out of my library." said Liam rolling his eyes at the memory._

_"Good work!" said the Doctor highfiving Liam not seeing James and Ben rolling their eyes at her "Was it the Examinations Committee? I think they are after my head because I'm not grading my students based on exams."_

"Well, of course it did." said the Doctor casually as if it was obvious then smiled at the man "Oh hello. How are you doing? Are you here to give me hell about not grading students based on exams?" 

"What the hell -" began Bucky in confusion and James cut in.

"She's a Professor here too, it's her undercover story." said James to Bucky with a reassuring smile. 

"Do not be stupid, I am a fugitive on run." said the rabbit while the man stayed still. 

"What the fuck?" exclaimed Sam in shock as he looked at the rabbit "Why is the rabbit talking?" 

"Oh it's a disguise. Clever old multiform. One creature disguised as two. But it got the voice a bit muddled." said the Doctor in amusement at Sam's freaking out and wondering why on earth there was an escaped prisoner in New York City "I assume this is the alien convict you have been looking for. What are you doing here?"

"I escaped from Stormcage and now I am hiding from the Judoon. They will never be able to find me while I am in this form." said the rabbit while the man stayed perfectly still "They are limited." 

"Oh, so you have nothing to do with the Cybermen and the Weeping Angels downstairs?" asked the Doctor as he looked at the multiform.

"No." answered the alien convict and Sam took out his gun but the Doctor made him lower it. 

_"Isn't what strange?" asked the Doctor as she arranged a pile of books neatly for her next visitor._

_"That people have been wanting to see you." said James curiously as he cocked his head to the side._

"Just one question, why have you been asking for me?" asked the Doctor and when the rabbit and the man looked at her, she chuckled "Oh, don't give me those faces, I know you have been asking around for me in your different forms but why?" 

"Because I know you have a form of escape and you will help me escape." said the rabbit with a growl, a menacing glare in its beady eyes.

"He means the TARDIS, doesn't he, Doctor?" asked James face palming himself as he looked at the Doctor in panic.

"You will assist me in escaping the Judoon, Doctor!" said the rabbit threateningly and for the first time in their lives, they all felt threatened by a rabbit. "It shall be a mutual partnership!" 

"Me, I love a bad boy but I don't think that's such a good idea." replied the Doctor with a dangerous smile as she looked at the multiform "You're a fugitive from Stormcage and I'm a mad woman. Think of all the trouble we would create."

The man looked at her and then opened his mouth snarling at her, revealing sharp teeth, making Sam, Bucky, Peter, Ben and James gasp and scream in horror and fright as they ran up the stairs followed by the Doctor. 

"RUN! RUN! RUN!" yelled the Doctor as she found herself holding hands with Bucky who was shooting at the multiform that was following them and she looked exasperated "Stop shooting!" 

"What do you suggest?" asked Bucky rolling his eyes at her and she was taken aback at his tone because he sounded like he had encountered this kind of banter before "Let it eat us?"

"Just you go! Run!" yelled the Doctor, pushing Bucky up the stairs and then ran after him quickly to the floor where her office was. 

"Okay. We are going to die!" howled James as he buried his head onto his husband's shoulder as the Doctor ran towards her office took her keys and opened her door.

"Oh, you're a cheery one!" snapped the Doctor at James who was never helpful in these kind of moments and ushered everyone into her office "Everyone in now!" 

No one objected as everyone ran into her office and the Doctor locked her door as she breathed in and out, trying to think of a plan. The Cybermen and the Weeping Angels would have probably gotten through the force field by now and there was a multiform fugitive who wanted her to help it escape and it was on it's way, to kill her and her friends because she refused to help. 

Well, this was a normal day for her. More chaotic added to normal. Anyway what was normal for her?

"Where's your blue box?" asked Peter in puzzlement pointing at the corner where the TARDIS had been parked before but now had vanished. 

"What blue box? Is it really important?" asked Sam looking exasperated and annoyed because deadly aliens, aliens of death were coming to kill them and this kid was talking about a blue box. 

"Of course, it's important. It's the blue police box -" began Peter and then realized that he had given himself away as the Doctor, Ben and James looked at him curiously and knowingly. 

"How do you know about her blue box, Spiderman?" asked Ben curiously as he raised his eyebrows and looked at him suspiciously "Because you see, the Doctor is very private and selective about who enters her office. And only four people have entered her office so far. Me, James, herself and a boy named Peter Parker that she tutors."

"Um - I don't know. I - I was just - I thought - I -" began Peter knowing that he had made a mistake and slipped up when he saw that the Doctor was wearing a determined expression and walking towards him.

The Doctor walked towards Peter and took off his mask, looking at Peter with a smile "Hello Peter Parker. Spiderman. So the kid from Brooklyn behind the mask of a local hero?" 

"Doctor, James, Ben - I can explain -" began Peter looking at all three of his friends who he had hid his identity from. 

"Save it, Parker. We knew it all along." said the Doctor as she tossed his mask to him with a grin and a wink.

"What?" asked Peter in shock as he stood frozen staring at Ben and James who were smiling and the Doctor who was busy opening the windows to her balcony. 

"Yeah, you weren't subtle about it." said the Doctor as she looked up at the sky and then at Peter with a grin and then walked towards him and ruffled his hair "You disappear from classes at the exact same times that Spiderman saves the day, you show up to classes with nasty bruises, you could have followed MJ to Yale but you stayed here because you had things to do, you ask our opinion about Spiderman all the time because it matters what we think about how you are doing. And also you saved my life, thanks for that." 

"But what -" 

"Shush!" said the Doctor, having no time to discuss everything right now as she tossed the umbrella towards Peter who caught it "No time to lose. We have to go." 

"Go?" asked Sam looking at the Doctor as if she had gone mad "We have to fight!" 

"Are you mad? We have to fight to run away!" replied the Doctor sassily as she glared at Sam. 

"Alright. Where are we going to run away?" asked Sam who was watching the Doctor climb out of the window and James, Ben and Peter were following her lead by climbing through the window onto the balcony. Sam groaned as he nodded at Bucky and Sam climbed out of the window easily but with all his armor Bucky struggled to climb out of the window and the Doctor who saw that ran towards Bucky. 

The Doctor saw the multiform materialize in her office and the Cybermen knock down the door and the Doctor groaned at Bucky "What are you doing?"

"My armor's stuck!" groaned Bucky as he struggled and the Doctor helped him by using all her strength to pull him out. 

Bucky toppled onto the Doctor who fell onto the ground while the window shut behind them and the Doctor looked with wide eyes into Bucky's gorgeous deep blue eyes as she said "You need to take those clothes off!" 

Both of them gasped and Bucky started blushing as the Doctor's hand slowly and shyly wandered on his back while the Doctor's hearts pounded thunderously, feeling heat creep up her neck at the closeness and intimacy that they were sharing. And what was even more weird was that, the Doctor who would usually feel uncomfortable in these kind of situations did not feel uncomfortable with Bucky on top of her, his piercing blue eyes staring at her fondly and curiously. She wondered who he was and how he made her feel so comfortable in such an intimate and personal situation. The Doctor felt her hands wandering around Bucky's back unsure what to do with them, her cheeks becoming warm and rosy at the closeness they were sharing.

Most of all the Doctor was utterly embarrassed at what she had just said to this handsome and quiet man and began stammering "I didn't mean -" 

"I know." nodded the man in quiet understanding. 

The Doctor hoped that Bucky did not feel her hearts pounding loudly as she began to apologize again "I just -"

"I understand, I do." replied Bucky looking at the Doctor with a small nod and the Doctor couldn't help but caress the nape of Bucky's neck wondering what on earth was wrong with her because she was wishing that she could stay this way forever with this man but when she saw the multiform materialize near the window, she stumbled and stood up in alarm. 

"Yes, if you two are done with your flirtations -" began Sam with a smirk directed at Bucky who flushed and Ben and James could not help but wear sassy, knowing smiles that infuriated the Doctor while Peter Parker was looking up at the sky as if there was something up there. 

"What - shut up!" snapped the Doctor flustered, wondering how the humans could concentrate on something stupid as flirting - which they were not doing - when they were in a life and death situation. 

"So what's the plan?" asked Peter who wanted to move past this whole Bucky and Doctor flirting thing he wished he had never seen and get out of this alive. 

"Who said I've got a plan?" asked the Doctor in puzzlement as he looked at Peter Parker who was without a mask but wearing his red and blue spider man outfit.

"Of course you've got a plan. You gave me this!" replied Peter indignantly and cleverly as he tossed the umbrella to his teacher who caught it while sonicking the window safely. 

"Maybe I'm just an idiot who likes umbrellas and blue boxes." replied the Doctor with a smile as she looked up at the sky for a moment and then looked at Peter. 

"You're not. You're the Doctor! You're clever! You're really, really, really clever!" exclaimed Peter in admiration and annoyance as he looked at the woman he believed in. 

The Doctor smirked and then smiled as she turned to look at Peter and tossed the umbrella lazily to him "Are you? If I've got a plan, then tell me what is it?" 

"Is this a test?" asked Peter raising his eyebrows at the Doctor as he caught the umbrella. 

"Yes." answered the Doctor truthfully as she looked at Peter and Sam was going to interrupt when Bucky shushed him. 

"Why?" asked Peter curiously because the aliens were after them and the Doctor was testing him.

"Because I want you to prove if you are as clever as you think you are." replied the Doctor with a smirk and Peter was taken aback for a moment.

The multiform started banging against the window and Peter saw a crack form on the window "What will the aliens do to us?" 

"Kill us." answered the Doctor, without any hesitation and took a step towards Peter "So come on then, do I have a plan?" 

"Oh of course you have a plan. You always have a plan." said Peter as he saw the multiform starting to disappear slowly and then with a smirk tossed the umbrella to the Doctor "I knew straightaway from the moment you took this umbrella what your plan was." 

The Doctor tossed the umbrella back to Peter "No, you didn't."

"Of course I did." replied Peter smartly, tossing the umbrella back to the Doctor who caught it.

"Show me!" replied the Doctor with a small curious smile as she tossed the umbrella back to him.

"Why should I?" asked Peter rolling his eyes at the Doctor as he twirled the umbrella. 

"Because we will be fucking dead, does she have a plan?" asked Sam Wilson, interrupting their smart and sassy banter. 

"If we'd been escaping, we'd be climbing down the building. If we were hiding, we would be on the other side of the university but no. We are standing right here in your balcony." said Peter as he walked towards the edge of the balcony and stood there with a smile, the umbrella still in his hand.

"So?" asked the Doctor innocently raising her eyebrows but her lips were twitching and Ben, James, Bucky and Sam saw that the the multiform had started materializing outside the window 

"So, you're the Impossible Woman." said Peter with a knowing smile as he put the umbrella up and pulled down a metal ladder up from the sky making the Doctor grin "Let's go!" 

"Let's go!" said the Doctor with a grin as she first made Ben, James, Sam, Bucky climb the ladder that they had no idea where it led to but as long as they were escaping the alien, they were happy. The Doctor saw the man in the metal arm look at her as he climbed the ladder and then she climbed the ladder after them and as the ladder pulled up, Peter hung onto it with the umbrella and they all finally climbed onto a metal staircase that seemed to lead up and up and away into the sky.

"What in the Sam Hill -" began Sam as he looked at the dark night sky dotted with glittering stars and misty clouds around him "How is this possible?" 

"Doctor, is this where you parked the TARDIS?" asked Ben relieved that the Doctor had, had a plan and they were not killed by an alien. 

"The what?" asked Sam incredulously wondering what ridiculous word was coming out of Ben's mouth.

"The TARDIS." repeated James patiently. 

"Yep. Just keep climbing." said the Doctor as she followed all of them while watching for the multiform down below and then looked at Peter "So Spiderman or Peter Parker? Which one is it?" 

"You want to chat now?" asked Peter rolling his eyes in disbelief at his teacher who had bad timing "Doctor or Professor Jane Smith? Which one is it?" 

"Well, we can't chat when we have died horribly." retorted the Doctor as she climbed the staircase while she watched Peter look in fascination at the stars that he was among now "I'm the Doctor. Who are you?" 

"I'm Peter Parker and Spiderman." replied Peter with a shrug but still amazed as he took in every star in the night sky and every misty cloud floating. From up here, he could see all of New York, shining and shimmering, glittering and alive. "How did we get up here so quickly?" 

"Oh I did a clever trick with the staircase, it's taller on the inside." replied the Doctor with a smile at how Peter was so amazed and fascinated by the world around him.

"This is beautiful." said the man in a metal arm, in a reverent voice as he looked around him in disbelief. 

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at him "Yeah, it is." 

The man smiled at her widely and then a loud familiar voice of Sam interrupted them "This is insane!" 

"That's another way to put it." muttered the Doctor rolling her eyes and Peter and Bucky chuckled in amusement. 

The Doctor ran up the staircase and finally reached the cloud where she had parked her beautiful ghost monument on. She nodded at Ben and James who trusted her absolutely and stepped on the solid cloud as they smiled at the Doctor who always amazed them. To Ben and James, life with a Doctor was an impossible fairy tale. 

"Oh hello you Sexy thing!" said the Doctor in relief and love as she placed a kiss on the TARDIS door "I missed you so much!"

"The Doctor and her TARDIS." said James looking at the Doctor who was stroking the blue box affectionately "A better love story than Twilight."

Sam, Bucky and Peter finally reached the top of the staircase and they gasped in disbelief when they saw that they were standing on a misty cloud and that James, Ben and the Doctor were fine standing on a super solid cloud that didn't let them fall. Peter looked around him in disbelief and then he smiled when he saw at what the Doctor was leaning on. 

"Your blue box!" 

"Oh great! So we come all the way up here to what - visit a blue box?" asked Sam as he groaned and stepped towards where Ben and James were standing but he was excited too. This seemed unreal and completely out of a story book. 

Bucky took slow steps wondrously onto the cloud, thinking he would fall but when he opened his eyes he was still standing and he was walking on the cloud. He looked at the Doctor who was grinning at him marvelously and he couldn't help but smile fondly at the Doctor. 

Peter was hesitant at first as he looked at the Doctor who walked towards him and sonicked the staircase and he asked "What's this cloud made of?" 

"Super dense water vapor." replied the Doctor seriously as she tucked a loose strand of her hair and then flipped her sonic screwdriver "Should keep the aliens trapped for some moments and give us some time!" 

"So you live up here on a cloud in a box?" asked Peter following the Doctor as he smiled in delight with every step he took, relishing the feel of walking on a cloud made of super dense water vapor. 

"I have done for a while." replied the Doctor as she pocketed her screwdriver. 

"You really know how to be moody, don't you?" asked the man with a metal arm, a small smile of amusement dancing in his face.

The Doctor didn't like it when she didn't know things and she definitely didn't know why this man acted like he knew her better than she knew him "I'm not moody!" 

"You live in a box!" retorted the man with a chuckle, shaking his head at her. 

"That's no more a box than you are a soldier." replied the Doctor as she adjusted her coat and opened the doors of her blue box and casually and easily entered along with her best friends. 

There was something that flared in Bucky as he looked at the Doctor and followed her into the box without thought or care "Oh, I am not just a soldier, I am so much -" 

"More than that." mumbled Bucky in disbelief as the box lit up in a warm yellow and pretty blue hues but what was incredible about it was that it was so much more bigger on the inside. 

Sam Wilson felt like he was going to faint as he looked at the warmth and brightness that exuded within the box that was bigger on the inside. This was crazy! This was insane! This was - this was unlike anything he had ever seen before and the woman standing before them looked smug as she smiled at them. 

The moment Peter Parker entered the TARDIS, he gasped in disbelief and his eyes widened in surprise as he took in how beautiful and bright and bigger everything was inside this police box. It was a technological marvel that could be possible to achieve in his wildest dreams, that was theorized as impossible and yet here was standing in a box that was dimensionally transcendental. He couldn't believe his eyes and he pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. And in the middle was a console, a beautiful powered blue and purple console with different wacky colored buttons and levers and screens that he was sure could be used to achieve various scientific feats that were deemed impossible. Peter couldn't breathe for a moment as his heart raced as he looked around at the beauty and wonder around him and his eyes fell upon the woman who owned the blue box. The Impossible Woman who was standing near the console comfortably as if she had been doing this her whole life, like this was her home. 

The Impossible Woman smiled at them with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as the whirring and wheezing began "It's called the TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in time and space." 

"And it's mine." said the Doctor with a proud and possessive smile as she looked at Peter, Bucky and Sam who looked shocked and close to a heart attack. 

"It's - it's - but -" began Peter, Bucky and Sam speechless as they looked at the beautiful and impossible TARDIS and the impossible woman who was standing in it. 

"Go on. Say it. I've heard all the passing remarks." remarked the Doctor with a smirk as she shrugged in amusement, enjoying their wonder and admiration of the TARDIS. 

The three of them, Sam, Peter and Bucky rushed out and looked around the small blue police box and then finally came into the TARDIS where the Doctor was waiting and Peter burst with excitement "Oh My God! This is so cool! Doctor, how long have you borrowed this from Scotland Yard?" 

"That's a first." replied the Doctor taken aback in surprise. 

"I cannot believe this." said Sam as he looked outside and then inside of the box "How is this possible?" 

"The internal dimension transcends the external." replied Peter cleverly grasping onto the essentials as he looked with wonder around the TARDIS.

"Well done!" said the Doctor with an approving smile as she ruffled Peter's hair. 

"It's bigger on the inside." breathed Bucky in wonder as he looked at the Doctor who was closing the doors.

"Hey! We finally got there!" cheered Ben as he high fived James and the Doctor grinned as he looked at his best friends.

"Is it a machine?" asked Bucky curiously from the Doctor who smiled at him.

"It's a ship. The best ship in the universe!" said the Doctor with a grin at Bucky who was excited and speechless at everything. 

"So it's like a time machine?" asked Sam who was still struggling to grasp the fact that they were in a box that was bigger on the inside that could travel through all of time and space "How?" 

"Have you seen Back To The Future?" asked the Doctor as she spun around the TARDIS in absolute happiness. 

"The film?" asked Sam in disbelief. 

"No, the novelization." replied the Doctor rolling her eyes at Sam "Yes, the film." 

"Alright - let's go!" said the Doctor quickly, thankful that Peter, Sam and Bucky were still speechless "Don't worry. You're safe in here. Nothing can get through these doors." 

"Doctor." spoke up Peter quietly and the Doctor looked up to see Peter staring at her with a quiet reflective expression "Why did you tutor me?" 

The Doctor looked at Peter puzzled but she somehow understood the question that she didn't want to answer and Peter continued as he walked towards the Doctor "Why did you offer to walk me home? Why did you teach me about time travel and the universe and multiverses? Why did you come to see my project designs at Stark Expo? Why did you help me out when I was almost expelled? Why did you give me that umbrella?" 

"You followed me." said the Doctor, not meeting Peter's eyes and then looked at Bucky and Sam "I didn't want any of you here." 

"You're taller than I am and I'm a superhero that could have easily escaped but you still gave me the umbrella because you wanted me to reach for that ladder. And now you're showing me the TARDIS." said Peter knowingly as he looked at the Doctor whose back was turned towards him but she was wearing a thoughtful and conflicted expression, as everyone listened to Peter in silence.

"And now you've shown all of this to me, I just want to know why did you bother yourself being my friend? Because with all of this, you didn't have to bother, right?" said Peter looking at the beautiful TARDIS and then at his silent mentor as he looked at her with so much emotion in his eyes "Why did you want me to be happy?"

The Doctor felt tears spring into her eyes as she blinked them back and smiled as she turned towards Peter and walked towards him and smiled at him gently and wisely as she took a silver key out of her pocket. 

The most important key in the universe.

The TARDIS Key. 

"I never know Why." said the Doctor with a kind and sweet smile, her eyes ancient and renewed as she looked at Peter and took his hand gently and placed the silver key onto his palm "I only know Who." 

James and Ben smiled with tears in their eyes as they saw the Doctor become a parent again, accepting Peter Parker as a friend, a companion, a son that she cared about greatly while Bucky and Sam watched with small confused smiles. 

Peter felt tears of happiness and affection spring into his eyes as he saw the silver key gleam in his palm and looked into the Doctor's eyes and was moved at how much the Doctor trusted and loved him enough to give him a key to her ship. The key to her home. For so long, Peter Parker had felt alone. But now as he looked at the Doctor, he knew that it wasn't true anymore. The Doctor had entered his life and made him feel special with her kindness and love and understood him better than anyone else did. Peter knew that this was the moment that the Doctor who was guarded was truly and wholeheartedly accepting him into her life as a true friend and it meant such a great deal to him. 

Peter was trying his hardest not to cry and he wanted to say something grateful and meaningful and all he could say was "I don't know why I'm crying." 

"Because you're a baby." interrupted Sam and Ben glared at him fiercely shutting him up but Peter and the Doctor didn't notice Sam's remark.

"I do." said the Doctor with a happy smile as he squeezed Peter's hand gently, happy tears in her eyes as she looked at the boy fondly "Remember this, remember this moment, because this is the day everything begins!" 

Peter grinned and hugged the Doctor with a laugh and the Doctor hugged him back and Sam Wilson interrupted their happy moment "Excuse me! I don't understand what the hell is going on here? What is going on? What do those aliens down there want with us? What is happening? Can someone explain?"

The Doctor and Peter broke their hug and rolled their eyes at Sam and the Doctor ran towards the console and Sam walked towards the Doctor "Explain it to me!" 

"An alien fugitive is hiding in Peter's University along with some other aliens who want to burn and destroy this planet!" replied the Doctor sassily as she pulled the wobbly lever and then looked at Sam "Any questions?" 

"Yes!" 

"Me too." agreed the Doctor with a nod "We are not safe. We need to find out what those Cybermen are up to. But what - why are they making an army? Is it to destroy the planet? Survival? Probably. But then where are they broadcasting to? And how do the Weeping Angels come into this?"

"Does she do this a lot?" asked Sam from James who was folding his arms and looking at the Doctor in exasperation. 

"Yeah. She talks to herself because she says other people get in the way and the only person who can understand what she is thinking is herself." said Ben with a fond smile and shaking his head at her. 

"But - oh - maybe -" said the Doctor but then she shook her head and then looked at them "I need another look at that basement again." 

"Are you crazy?" asked Sam, his eyes bulging out of his head. 

"I'll come with you." agreed Bucky immediately to the surprise of everyone. 

"Are you crazy?" asked Sam looking at Bucky like he had gone mad. 

"You are not going in there, Doctor. The Cybermen, they have guns." said Ben worriedly as he walked towards the Doctor. 

"So do we." said Bucky as he showed his gun and readied it. 

"Yes, but we are not using them." popped in the Doctor quickly "They can shoot me but the moral high ground is mine."

"I'm coming too." said Peter in determination. 

"What? No." said the Doctor shaking her head in refusal "You're going to our base." 

"We have a base?" asked James in confusion and excitement. 

"Yes. Peter Parker's apartment." said the Doctor in excitement as she clapped her hands. "Ben and James, stay in the base and do research." 

"What? Doctor -" began Ben not wanting the Doctor to leave. 

"This is non negotiable Ben!" said the Doctor fiercely as she opened the door which led to Peter's living room "I tell you to do something and you do it! If you die, I feel like that would be on me and I don't want to have your blood on my hands so off you pop, Ben and James and snog the living daylights out of each other!"

Ben and James glared at her for a moment and then left the TARDIS angrily and then the Doctor turned around as she slumped onto the door with an exhausted sigh to see Sam shake his head at her "You didn't have to do that to them. They are your friends. They were worried about you." 

"Pushing them away keeps them safe from me." said the Doctor feeling so tired and lonely again but knowing that there was no time to be exhausted and she looked at Peter "You, I'm not letting you come with me." 

"Why not?" protested Peter as he walked towards the Doctor with pleading eyes.

"I can't lose you. I have a duty of care towards you." said the Doctor protectively as she looked at the boy who she had grown fond off "Now - go and join Ben and James and I'll come back for you soon. I promise." 

"No." said Peter stubbornly shaking his head "I'm not leaving you, Doctor!" 

"Peter, this is not a joke! Cybermen can convert you! You could get hurt or even worse killed!" said the Doctor fiercely as she shook Peter by his shoulders "I'm not losing someone to that again!" 

"What about you -" 

"Peter, the difference between me and you is that I'm less breakable." said the Doctor truthfully and earnestly as she looked at the boy "Now, please. Just go." 

"I'm not leaving you." said Peter firmly as he stayed in the TARDIS, rooted in the same spot "You think you are invincible and powerful. But you are not, you need help whether you like it or not! And I'm brilliant and two minds are better than one! We can figure this out together!" 

"Promise me one thing then." said the Doctor softly as she nodded at Peter who knew that she had granted approval for her to come.

"Anything." 

"When I tell you to leave me behind, you leave me behind and save yourself." said the Doctor with a small smile but she was deadly serious. 

"I can't -" began Peter, shaking his head at the thought of losing the Doctor but the Doctor cut across his sentence. 

"You will. And you must. Otherwise, out of the TARDIS now." said the Doctor as she opened the door for Peter to get out.

Peter looked at the Doctor for a few moments and lied as he nodded and the Doctor smiled brightly "Good. That goes for the two of you as well. Peter knows the three rules, but you two don't, so I'll let you know." 

"I'm the Doctor." said the Doctor with a brilliant smile as she twirled her sonic screwdriver while Peter thought of how she had asked him to sacrifice her to save her life and he felt tears spring into his eyes "Don't ask stupid questions, don't wander off and don't use weapons." 

"Are you serious about the weapons?" asked Sam looking at the Doctor with a laugh. 

"Deadly serious. I have a thing about guns and bombs and weapons. I don't like them and I never will." said the Doctor in a voice that was soft but dangerous, a voice that was best to be obeyed. 

"Have you ever been in a fight? How do you win?" asked Sam narrowing his eyes at the Doctor. 

"Brains beat bullets." replied the Doctor with a clever smile "So no weapons, use your brains." 

Peter who peeked out of the door of the TARDIS when he heard a knock saw that Ben was the one who knocked and Ben smiled at Peter "Peter, don't let the Doctor do anything stupid." 

Peter nodded and James grinned at Peter "And give her hell." 

Peter grinned at James and closed the door and they were finally off back to the basement of the university they had escaped!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to write this chapter!  
> And also yeah, there is a bit of Clara in this as well. Finally the story is taking off and I'd like to know your thoughts and your kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	13. Chapter 13

"Ready?" asked the Doctor from Peter who was beside her with an excited gleam in his eyes as she pulled down the lever that started the TARDIS.

Peter nodded speechlessly as he looked around him and then at the Doctor with a smile "So when you were talking about time travel, you actually have traveled through time. You knew all about it!"

"Yes." answered the Doctor with an amused smile "It was amusing to see how everyone believed it was impossible when I had a time machine tucked away in my office."

"The TARDIS? What does that mean?" asked Peter curiously, who was full of questions ever since he entered the TARDIS.

"Time and Relative Dimension In Space." answered the Doctor as she operated the console easily while Bucky watched her easily and Sam listened to her. "It means -"

"Life." finished Peter, quoting the lecture that the Doctor had given on Time Travel from his memory.

The Doctor looked at him with an impressed smile "Ah, so you were listening to my lecture."

"How could I not? You were fantastic." replied Peter as he touched a button and smoke erupted immediately and the Doctor quickly pressed another button that dialed down the fumes.

"Did you like teaching us? We must have seemed so small and stupid ... compared to all of this, all of you."

The Doctor stopped operating the TARDIS and looked at Peter seriously, an expression she always wore when she meant something with her heart "No, you're not that. You were all brilliant and wonderful and I loved teaching you all."

"So how long have you had this machine?" asked Sam curiously as he sat in one of the comfy chairs in the TARDIS.

"A very long time. We go back a long time, my Old Girl and I." said the Doctor with a smile thinking of all the adventures and excitement that she and the TARDIS would always get into.

_"Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?"_

_"I chose you. You were unlocked."_

_"Of course I was. I wanted to see the Universe so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough."_

"So Scotland Yard must trust you very much to let you borrow this machine." said Sam wondering how long the English had, had this wonderful and mind blowing invention.

"Well, it's technically not the Scotland Yard's property and it's not borrowed." said the Doctor quickly, avoiding everyone's eyes as she pulled out a box of gifts that she had received from her aunts and uncles, god mothers and god fathers that came in handy once in a while and took some of them out and put them inside her bigger on the inside pockets "I just saw her standing there and fell in love and stole her away to see the universe."

_"Hey! Hey! You're my thief!"_

_"Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?"_

_"Me. Are you going to steal me? You have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh! Tenses are difficult, aren't they?"_

"What?" asked Sam, his eyes widening in shock because they were all here in a box that was stolen by a thief illegally "Are you serious? You have to give this back!"

"I remember looking and touching her console and saying that she was the most beautiful thing I've ever known. Then I stole her and she stole me." said the Doctor lost in thought as she touched her warm and beautiful console and then looked at Peter, Sam and Bucky with a small but happy smile "Whatever makes you think she will give me back?"

You talk like it's alive." said the man with the metal arm quizzically looking at the Doctor.

_"I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now."_

_"What word?"_

_"Alive" I'm alive"_

_"Alive isn't sad."_

_"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here. But this is when we talked. And now even that has come to an end."_

"She is alive." replied the Doctor defensively "The TARDIS is the most alive ship in the universe. She's alive as you and I are." 

The TARDIS hummed in agreement to that and the Doctor smiled brightly "That's right, dear. Just you and me, eh?" 

"You talk to your ship?" asked Peter with a laugh as the Doctor pulled the lever as they materialized in the basement of the university where she had encountered the Cybermen. 

"People talk to cats, you probably talk to your suit, why is it weird that I talk to my Old Girl?" asked the Doctor rolling her eyes at Peter who was snorting in laughter along with Sam and Bucky "We've landed." 

The Doctor switched on the screens to do the environmental checks and the university because she did not want to walk in blind and then she looked at the three of them "Okay. We're here to explore this basement and discover why the Cybermen are here and what they want and we're going to do it peacefully. No one has to get hurt." 

"Follow me." said the Doctor as she climbed down the TARDIS stairs and then opened the door of the TARDIS to check the basement and saw that it was empty. She slowly stepped out followed by Sam, Peter and Bucky. 

Sam took out a torch and smiled cleverly at the Doctor as his torch lit up the darkness surrounding them "I can't see a thing. Good thing I have a torch with me." 

The Doctor pulled out her huge light wand from her bigger on the inside pocket that illuminated their surroundings strongly than Sam's torch did "Ultra Violet. Portable Sunlight."

"Yours is bigger than mine." said Sam looking indignantly and shocked at Doctor's huge torch. 

The Doctor shook her head at Sam with a knowing expression "Let's not go there." 

The Doctor nodded at Peter "Come on kid. You're with me. You two whose names that I don't know but I definitely will get around asking to later on after this is over, look around and cover for us." 

"Why are you in charge?" asked Sam challengingly and Bucky and Peter groaned. 

"Because I'm the Doctor, I have a TARDIS and today I'm going to find out what the hell is happening and you're in my way. So stop asking stupid questions and start doing what I say if you want a shot at survival." snapped the Doctor impatiently as she glared at Sam who seemed to be challenging her at every turn. 

Sam looked at her for one moment and then Bucky and Sam walked away from them as they started exploring the basement that was incredibly cold. The Doctor used her sonic screw driver to try to switch on the lights. The lights of the room began to switch on revealing Cybermen hibernating inside glass pods.

The Doctor looked at the Cybermen who were hibernating and said softly "Don't shoot. They are just sleeping." 

"Where are the Cybermen who were chasing after us?" asked Peter in a very low whisper as the Doctor observed the Cybermen trapped inside a glass pod waiting to be released. 

"Excellent question. Let's answer it after we're done here." replied the Doctor who was trying to process the large amount of pods were in this basement "Roughly a hundred sleeping Cybermen in this basement." 

The Doctor sonicked them and read the readings that came to her sonic screwdriver. The Cybermen had once been human, they were all human but there was nothing human about them anymore because they were fully converted. There was an army of fully converted Cybermen waiting to be awaken in New York. 

"Okay, Doctor. What do we do?" asked Peter who couldn't breath at the sight of the army of gleaming, threatening Cybermen. 

"Stay calm. Don't attack. Look for anything unusual." said the Doctor softly as she kept on walking and exploring and then she heard a crunch beneath her feet and she froze along with Spiderman who was beside her. 

She looked down and it was bones and she felt curious and disgusted at the same time and she bent down to pick up a skull that was one the floor and tossed it to Peter who caught it, wide eyed "Doctor, this is human! It's -" 

"It's human bones. No flesh, completely fried out human bodies dumped here." said the Doctor as she examined more bones and sniffed them and Peter dropped the skull because he still couldn't bear the thought of people dead.

"What happened to them?" asked Peter as he knelt down beside the Doctor and looked at her curiously. 

"They burnt out. Maybe not everybody survives the process of conversion. Maybe some get fried by the energy and die." said the Doctor knowingly and thoughtfully as the pieces of ash and dust and bones slid through her fingers and then looked at Peter who looked upset "It bothers you, doesn't it?" 

"How can it not bother you?" burst out Peter feeling angry and sad at what these Cybermen were doing "This is inhumane!" 

"They are Cybermen. They have no emotions. Emotions are for humans." replied the Doctor informatively as she stood up and dusted her hands on her pants. 

"Do you?" asked Peter questioningly, wanting to know truthfully whether the Doctor felt terrible and upset as he did and whether she cared at all. 

"I've been reliably informed that when I let my emotions get the best of me, I become a monster. So I find it best to keep my emotions in check." said the Doctor quietly as she placed her hand on Peter's shoulder gently "But yes, I do care." 

"Good. Because we won't let them get away with this. We will stop them." said Peter in determination as he looked at the Doctor and the Doctor truly saw the hero in Peter, the one who cared about people and stepped up to do the right thing. 

While the Doctor and Peter explored one side of the basement, Bucky and Sam watched them as they covered for them and Sam sighed "Man, I do not know why I am doing what this crazy lady is telling me." 

"Because you trust her." said Bucky with a fond smile as he looked at the Doctor who tripped over a wire and fell flat on her face. 

"Why are you looking at her like that?" asked Sam in confusion as he furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Bucky who was staring intensely at the Doctor reading something on her screwdriver.

"Like what?" asked Bucky tearing his eyes away from the Doctor.

"Like you like her. Like - like, like her. Love her." said Sam dramatically making Bucky roll his eyes at his friend. 

"You are crazy." replied Bucky shaking his head at Sam "Shut up and keep a look out." 

The Doctor had found a machine with wires plugged onto it, beeping sounds emanating from it and now she was scanning it while Spiderman was talking to her "Aren't you worried? The Cybermen could get you and convert you too because you said they convert humans." 

"Oh I'm way worse than human, the Cybermen don't find me compatible." said the Doctor as she looked at the signals that the machine was transmitting. 

"Why not?" asked Peter looking up from examining the machine in curiosity. 

The Doctor smiled tightly and raised her eyebrows at Peter as if it was obvious and then Peter looked at her for a moment and realization dawned on him as his eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped as he gasped "You're an alien! That is so cool! I mean, I've met aliens before but not someone like you! Have you seen this really old movie called Aliens?" 

"What?" said the Doctor not knowing whether to be offended or amused, continuing scanning the signals and transmitting it through her sonic screw driver to the TARDIS so she could have a better look later. "I have not seen it but I am going to assume it's very offensive to aliens." 

"But Doctor, you look human." said Peter a little lost and curiously as he looked at the Doctor who was proving to be surprising at every turn. 

"And you look Time Lord." said the Doctor with a small smile as she tapped her sonic screw driver on Peter's head "We came first." 

"So you're from space?" asked Peter still gaping at the Doctor in shock. 

"Don't be silly. Nobody's from space. I'm from a planet like everyone else." said the Doctor rolling her eyes at Peter who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. 

"And Timelords? What are they like? Where do you come from? Are there more of you out there?" asked Peter in excitement and curiosity because here he was talking to an alien who looked like a human, an alien who knew more about the universe than he did and could possibly teach him about it. 

"I'm from Gallifrey that is within the constellation of Kasterborous." said the Doctor after a moment of silence at the memory of her home planet in ruins and ashes, burning in front of her and her voice cracked as tears sprang into her eyes "There were Timelords once, a proud and ancient civilization but there aren't any more. Long story short, there was a bad day, my oldest friend decided to burn down my planet because everyone kept a very important secret about my life from me and now -" The Doctor sighed tiredly and sadly as she rubbed her forehead "No more. Just me on my own, last of my kind." 

Peter listened feeling hurt and sadness swell up in his heart for the Doctor who always had a happy smile on her face and acted childishly and kindly but she had suffered so much in her life. To lose her home, everything she knew and loved destroyed by the hands of her oldest friend, Peter couldn't imagine suffering that kind of pain being the last of the human race and losing everyone and everything on Earth.

"Doctor -" began Peter, not knowing what to say but wanting to say something to comfort his teacher. 

"Don't. Just - please. I don't need your pity." said the Doctor with a tight smile, her expression drawn in and guarded and then looked at Peter "Why did I tell you about Gallifrey? I usually reserve that when I've started traveling the universe with my friends." 

"I guess you needed someone to talk to." said Peter with a small and understanding smile. 

"I guess I did." said the Doctor with a sigh after a moment and then nodded her head at him "Parker, come take a look at this. These signals, what do you make of them?" 

"It's - weird. These machines, they are interconnected but they are performing separate functions." began Peter observing and examining the machines under the Doctor's watchful and fond eyes "One of them is transmitting signals to outer space but where in space? To a planet?" 

"Well. Tech this big and energy that is running through it, I don't think it's a planet." said the Doctor as she scanned the transmitting signals and got the location and sent it to the TARDIS "I've got a lock on the location to where the signals are being transmitted and Parker, anything else?"

"Yes. This machine is powering a beam me up Star Trek Teleport." said Peter cleverly and the Doctor rushed towards his side to find that it was indeed true "But why would the Cybermen need a teleport?" 

"Well, track where it's transporting to?" asked the Doctor as she quickly scanned the machine and looked at the readings and frowned "That's weird." 

"What is?" asked Peter in confusion looking at the Doctor.

"The teleport is working but it's strange. How do I explain it? Peter, if we were to activate this teleport, it wouldn't transport us anywhere, it would kill us." replied the Doctor looking at Peter seriously and Peter was taken aback. 

"But that defeats the point of it being a teleport." replied Peter, his head confused and puzzled "What? I don't understand." 

"Oh clever!" exclaimed the Doctor as she looked at the readings on her sonic screw driver "It's not transporting to somewhere, it's transporting from somewhere. It's a one way teleport. And where does it transport from? New York!" 

"I don't understand." said Peter who was still processing everything that the Doctor was saying. 

"Don't you?" asked the Doctor with a smile as she shrugged as Bucky and Sam came their way "The missing people no one noticed were missing. The missing people who didn't leave a trace. The Cybermen needed human beings to convert into Cybermen, to make an army, so what do they do? They teleport discreetly human beings who aren't noticed from New York into this basement and convert them! And where do they get they get the energy for the teleport? From the same place the signals have been transmitting to and that would explain the lightning without thunder, without storms!" 

Bucky, Sam and Peter were too busy trying to process the information when suddenly a voice cut across, making them jump around "Oh Bravo! Well done! Magnificent!" 

Bucky and Sam pointed their guns immediately at the man in front of them but Peter and the Doctor were too busy gaping at the man in front of them, shocked and in absolute disbelief at his presence in this basement. 

"You're so clever, Doctor! A thousand times cleverer than these idiots around you!" said Professor John Hawkins with a laugh as he clapped his hands in admiration for her "Your brain processing speed is remarkable! But then, you knew that already, didn't you?" 

"Professor?" exclaimed Peter in shock while the Doctor gasped "John?" 

"Oh hello Doctor. You didn't see this coming, did you?" asked Professor John Hawkins with a grin as he looked at the Doctor who was stunned and speechless.

"You know this man?" asked Bucky who cocked his gun and the Doctor gestured at Bucky and Sam not to shoot. 

The Doctor got over her shock quickly as a charming smile took over her face and she took a few steps towards him "Oh hello! I thought we were going to go dancing and have dinner, John." 

"What the hell?" muttered Sam and Bucky and Sam looked at Peter who had the mask of Spiderman on.

Peter muttered back to them "This is Professor John Hawkins and he is a university lecturer. He also fancies the Doctor and asked her out days ago." 

"Oh, he is dead." said Bucky, making a disgusted face but looked ready to shoot the Professor because he had asked the Doctor out.

"I mean - I can see why. Your Professor is kind of hot." said Sam with a grin and was rewarded with a web that shut his mouth and a sharp nudge to his ribs by Bucky. 

"Oh Doctor, my darling, it was a clever lie to get you alone so I can tie you up." said John as they walked around each other, circling each other as they looked and observed each other's strengths and weaknesses, lies and truths. 

"Kinky. I'd be into that." said the Doctor with a cheeky smile as she stepped close enough to John, making Bucky cough and Sam close Peter's ears. "But don't I get breakfast in the morning?" 

"Enough foreplay. Let's get to business." said John impatiently and they stepped apart, and John took out and pointed a gun at her and Peter screamed but instead of an actual deadly gun, it was a water gun "What the hell?" 

"Kinky." taunted the Doctor with a grin and they all remembered how the Doctor and John were close enough that they were touching and the Doctor had cleverly pick pocketed the real gun from his pocket and replaced it with a water gun "If you want to kill me, you'd have to take me on a real date first." 

"Goodness me, Doctor. Don't tell me you are falling for me." replied John flirtily and the Doctor shrugged as she looked at John. 

"Why? You busy with some other girl?" asked the Doctor as she took a banana out of her pocket and peeled it and took a bite of it. 

"Doctor." sighed John dreamily as he looked at the woman in front of him as if she was a dream come true "I used to dream of you when I was little boy. The stories and legends and songs they sang of you back on my planet were endless and glorious and terrifying." 

"Your planet?" asked the Doctor curiously as she continued eating her banana.

"Gloriacurum. It was beautiful and peaceful, Doctor. It was home. Our species have so many powers and gifts but among them is the power to shape shift but we chose to appear as human." said John wistfully and nostalgic tone with a rueful smile and the Doctor quietly listened to him "I was so happy, Doctor. I remember how I used to run across those golden and shimmering blue cornfields everyday with my friends and at home, my family would always spin stories and sing songs. It was amazing." 

"It's beautiful." whispered Peter in awe and wonder, listening to his tale. 

"I remember you. You never came to our planet and I never met you but you were a big part of my childhood. In our planet, there were libraries dedicated to your heroics and heartbreaks." said John nostalgically as he looked at the Doctor who was smiling as if she had heard this before while Peter, Bucky and Sam were amazed and impressed "You were the story that children kept in mind when they thought that life was too hard. You were a legend, a mighty creature of infinite power and potential, a incredible hero who saved everyone!"

"You were my hero." said John, in a tone of admitting and confessing a great secret "The truth is I've always fancied you ever since I've heard of you. And I've always wanted to meet you and marry you. The Doctor in the TARDIS."

"Fantastic idea. Let's get married. I want to get married right now! Let's have cake and dancing and champagne and invite everyone!" exclaimed the Doctor with a grin flapping her hands around, startling Peter, Sam and Bucky making them wonder if she had gone mad "But I have a feeling you have more to say before we say our vows." 

"Our planet was attacked. Cruelly and mercilessly by the Master. I think you know him. Your oldest friend in the universe." said John angrily as he taunted her, the Doctor who had frozen in shock "Screams of children and bloodshed and destruction. All I knew crumbled to the ground, to dust and ashes!" 

"But I believed in you! I believed that you would come and save us! That you would fight against the Master and bring us peace at last!" yelled John, his entire body shaking with fury and outrage at the Doctor who hadn't moved or said a word in shock and sadness "I waited for you, Doctor. My magical Doctor." 

"I thought you'd come and save us because that's what you do. But I waited too long, and my faith in you began to fade as my family and friends were killed by the Master." said John coldly and furiously to the Doctor who had closed her eyes in regret and shame "I fought in the war and finally I escaped. Now my planet is gone all because I believed you would come to save me. But you didn't and I survived!" 

"What a disappointment you have been to me. And now here am, this is what you made of me." said John, his eyes burning with cold anger and darkness as the Doctor looked at him with apologies that would never be enough. 

There was silence and it rang so loud as the Doctor looked at John and John looked at Doctor and finally John whispered "You took my heart away. Now I've come to rip yours out." 

"Please. You're right. I'm sorry. You believed in me and I let you down." said the Doctor, swallowing the lump in her throat at the thought that this was all her fault "But I didn't know that the Master burned your planet. I didn't know any of it. And I know what -" 

"That's what makes it even more hurtful. You didn't know. You were whizzing about in your blue box, having the time of your life while everyone was dying." said John angrily yelling at the Doctor making Peter, Bucky and Sam jump back in shock and the Doctor flinch "Do you ever care what happens to us, Doctor? You don't!" 

"Have you ever seen a dead planet, Doctor?" asked John with a growl as he looked menacingly into the Doctor's eyes "Have you heard children scream?" 

The Doctor's face hardened as she tensed "I've seen more than you can ever imagine and lost more than you can possibly understand." 

"I've always wanted to meet you. And now that we met, I hope you're impressed with my work." said John with a mad grin as he gestured at all the Cybermen and the Doctor somehow wondered whether the Weeping Angels were his too. 

"Oh yes. I love the metal men army. Very, very impressed. But you aren't doing all of this just to impress a girl with two hearts, are you?" asked the Doctor as she looked at the army of Cybermen "Tell me, what is it that you really want?" 

"I know you know what I want." said John with raised eyebrows as the Doctor looked at one of the Cybermen safe in the glass pods. 

"Oh come on, John. Amuse a girl on her date, won't you?" asked the Doctor with a small, knowing smile at John as she took a few steps towards him "Come on, let's think of this as our date. I'll ask you questions and you'll answer. Question one, how did my detector not recognize you as alien?" 

"Oh good. Brainy is the new sexy for me on a date." said John sounding impressed as he looked at the Doctor who smiled smugly "I told you that I am a man of many gifts. I can change my outer appearance to look human as well as my internal bodily functions to look and act as human to deceive any detectors." 

"Well, consider me deceived." said the Doctor who seemed very impressed. "The Cybermen, I'm assuming they are your work. But what did you offer them? What is in it for them?" 

"Survival." replied John shortly with a sweet smile that did not sit well with the Doctor. "An answer."

"The answer to what?" asked the Doctor suspiciously, narrowing her eyebrows. 

"The answer to everything." replied John vaguely with a very annoying smile. 

"Could you be more specific?" asked the Doctor, very annoyed "What do you mean the answer to everything?" 

"You're the Doctor. You can work it out." replied John mysteriously with a laugh that irked the Doctor. 

"Alright. Cybermen. Survival. I'm assuming they want to take over this planet. Where do the Weeping Angels come in?" asked the Doctor as she she looked at her TARDIS that was parked right behind John and was waiting for her patiently. 

"Oh, they are exquisite and wonderful creatures, aren't they? One mention of your name and they just agreed to help." said John gleefully with a smile as he walked past her and the Doctor dodged him quickly "I've made some modifications for my amusement." 

"Modifications? What do you mean modifications? You can't modify a Weeping Angel!" exclaimed the Doctor incredulously shaking her head at John "That's impossible!" 

"You can't. I can." replied John with a grin that infuriated the Doctor because every time she got closer to knowing something, he took one step away from her confusing her even further. 

"How?" 

"Can't say." 

"What modifications did you make to the Weeping Angels?" asked the Doctor curiously, wanting to know John's plan.

"My dear Doctor, that would take all the fun out of our date. I want it to be a surprise for you, sweetie." said John with an affectionate simpering smirk that the Doctor immediately disliked. 

"Only River Song gets to call me that." said the Doctor in a firm and strong voice. 

"And who is River Song?" asked John rolling his eyes at the Doctor. 

"An old friend of mine." replied the Doctor with a powerful and proud smile and Peter smiled at the Doctor, knowing that the Doctor still cherished and cared about the lady with the space hair. 

John smirked at the Doctor who looked at John regretfully and honestly "I'm sorry that your planet is dead. And I'm sorry I failed to save it." 

John was taken aback for a moment as he looked at the Doctor who was wearing a raw and sincere expression and for a moment, he softened and saw the magical Doctor that he had always dreamed of but then he hardened and gritted his teeth "Sorry doesn't bring my family back. Sorry doesn't bring my home back." 

The Doctor was silent for a moment because she knew that better than anyone else but she wanted to apologize for letting that young boy with hopes and dreams of his magical doctor who would save him. And now here that young and innocent boy was, transformed into a hardened and hurt man because of the war and pain he had gone through. 

"So, what do you want?" asked the Doctor finally after what seemed like a very long time "What do you want from me?" 

"I know that Gallifrey was destroyed by the hands of the Master and you couldn't save it." said John softly and tauntingly and the Doctor tensed, her hands clenching in anger and sadness, regret and pain at all the memories of home "And now Earth is your home and you have the biggest family on Earth. You've made this planet your home. And home is where your hearts are, aren't they?" 

The Doctor gritted her teeth, trying very much to control herself "What do you want?" 

"I'm going to burn this planet to dust. I'm going to destroy Earth, your only home and kill everyone you love. All you love and know will die, Doctor." said John with a happy smile as he looked at the Doctor with madness in his eyes "And I will watch you crumble as you fail to save the Earth and everyone you love as you failed to save Gallifrey and Gloriacurum." 

"Tell me, Doctor. Can your conscience carry the weight and blood of all these dead races?" asked John mockingly and quietly as he watched the Doctor close her eyes and breathe deeply. 

There was a moment of silence as the Doctor's anger burned within her but she thought of Ben and James, Amy and Rory, all her companions and took a deep breath "Leave." 

"You can't fight this, Doctor. I've read the legends but this -what I've planned for you, what is waiting for you, what is coming for you is going to tear the universe apart." said John seriously and the Doctor knew that he wasn't joking around, his voice was serious and solemn. 

"You're mad! You're doing this for revenge? You're taking revenge on all of us for something she failed to do?" asked Sam in anger as he pointed the gun at John and shot him before the Doctor could do anything. 

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" yelled the Doctor in alarm as she looked at Sam and then at John "PUT THAT GUN DOWN!" 

"He was going to burn us alive." said Sam as he rolled his eyes at the Doctor who was different from all of them. 

But the Doctor had rushed towards John and was checking his pulse, trying to make sure he was okay "John? John? Are you okay? Hey. It's the Doctor. Here to help." 

"Never knew you cared." mumbled John with a small smile as he groaned while the Doctor was trying to stop the blood from over flowing 

"You have to stay alive. Remember, we haven't finished our date yet." said the Doctor with a playful smile but she was very worried and everyone was surprised at how she was worried and concerned over the enemy and treating him.

"Doctor, it's all waiting for you. I've planned the most spectacular date that you'll never forget." said John with a groan and then the Doctor saw that John was beginning to slowly heal and as she scanned him with her sonic screwdriver she realized it was one of his gifts.

"Good. I won't be late." said the Doctor, her hands soaked in blood and she nodded at Bucky, Peter and Sam to back away and John got up.

"Quick healing powers." said John as he stood up and there was no sign of blood as Bucky, Peter and Sam gaped at him. 

"Blimey, I'd be in love with you. That's if you weren't try to kill me and destroy Earth." replied the Doctor sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. 

"Doctor, I mean I thought you'd be more impressed but -" began John with a smirk but the Doctor cut him off. 

"No, you listen to me. John, this planet and these people are under my protection. You have no right to condemn these people to death. You plan mass destruction and murder of billions and billions of wonderful and brilliant people on Earth and you ask me to be impressed?" asked the Doctor snarling, her voice dangerous and menacing, like the oncoming storm "I'm the Doctor and you get only one warning. Leave now or we're going to stop you!" 

There was absolute silence and then John shook his head as he clapped his hands laughing "Oh Doctor, it's an honor to receive one of the epic speeches I've heard so much about! But - no, I don't think I'll leave. I worked so hard to burn everything."

"I'm sorry." said the Doctor quietly after a moment.

"I don't want your apologies for the destruction of my planet!" snapped John furiously.

"Oh, I wasn't apologizing for the demise of your planet." said the Doctor with a light hearted laugh as if the thought had never occurred to her at all and then her eyes darkened "I'm sorry for what's going to happen to the Boy Who Waited For The Doctor." 

John raised his eyebrows and the Doctor smiled brightly, too brightly and Peter knew this as a smile that he had seen only once when she was driving. He motioned for Bucky and Sam to start moving and the Doctor grinned as she took out her sonic screw driver. 

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Timelord. I'm the Oncoming Storm. And I know thousands and thousands of languages so I can talk all day right now and do you know what my favorite word is?" asked the Doctor with a grin that was mischievous and trouble making as she pointed her sonic screw driver upwards towards the ceiling and it blasted Julie Andrew's voice singing loudly "SUPERCALIFRAGALISTICEXPIALIDOCIAS!" 

"RUN!" yelled the Doctor as they all ran while Spiderman swung through the air and when John tried to chased them, he slipped on the banana peel that the Doctor had thrown on the floor. 

All of them ran into the TARDIS and before the Doctor shut the door, she peeked out and grinned at John "All in all, this date wasn't exactly the worst date ever!" 


	14. Chapter 14

The Doctor's eyes were reflective and thoughtful as she operated the TARDIS, anger and regret and pain brimming and threatening to overwhelm her as she looked at her blood stained hands and she closed her eyes, trying to breath and calm down, just like James had taught her but when she saw Sam, she just couldn't control herself.

"ONE RULE! JUST ONE RULE! NO WEAPONS!" yelled the Doctor as she marched towards Sam "WAS THAT SO HARD TO REMEMBER?" 

"Doctor -" began Peter softly, scared of what was going to happen. 

"Doctor, are you crazy? He was threatening to kill you and destroy this entire world so no I don't regret shooting him!" said Sam who glared back at the Doctor who had taken her coat off, revealing a white shirt with a golden pocket watch attached to it. 

"He was a - no guns! Why can't you just talk instead of shooting first?" asked the Doctor who had felt her heart pound anxiously when she had seen the bullet pierce John because for a moment she had thought he was going to die too. Then she would be responsible not just for the death of his home but for his death too. She didn't want his blood on her hands even though he wanted to kill her. 

"Why aren't you armed?" asked Sam incredulously as he looked at the Doctor "He was threatening you and could have killed you at any moment! I saved your life!" 

"I am armed." admitted the Doctor calmly with a cocky smirk.

"What with?" asked Sam puzzled because he certainly didn't see guns and knives on her person like Natasha used to have. 

"Overconfidence, a screwdriver, my brains and my dazzling beauty. I'm absolutely sorted." replied the Doctor with a smirk that infuriated Sam and made Bucky hide a smile "Don't use guns. Listen to me, guns don't help, they just make things worse." 

"Well, my weapons have protected me all my life, so thanks for your moral advice, Mother Theresa." said Sam sarcastically rolling his eyes at the Doctor who was wiping the blood off her hands with a handkerchief she had gotten out of her coat. 

"Yeah? And how much more have they destroyed in protecting you?" asked the Doctor wisely and quietly and then sighed "What's your name?" 

"Sam. Sam Wilson. I'm the Falcon." said Sam feeling like the Doctor was trying her hardest to make an effort to be polite to him. 

"Okay. Falcon, that's a good name." said the Doctor, complimenting Sam because Ben had told her compliments work on humans and then proceeded "You seem like a good man. At least, I think you're trying to be one."

Sam was taken aback at the genuineness in her voice and the Doctor rolled up her sleeves "Sam, listen. The monsters we're fighting - John, Cybermen, Weeping Angels - we can't be like them. We have to be better than them." 

"Doctor, I'm sure you're a good woman." said Sam nicely and the Doctor laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had heard "But I've fought wars and aliens. There's no way to fight these creatures than with weapons! Weapons win wars. We've been through hell. But you would't know that because you've never been in one." 

"How do you know that?" asked the Doctor dangerously and softly, her eyes gleaming with ghosts of her past "I've fought in a war bigger than you will ever know! I did worse things than you could ever imagine! And when I close my eyes I hear children screaming and see everything burning!"

The Doctor's was yelling angrily but this was the anger that came from within, came from hiding years and years of pain and damage as her hands shook and she took a step towards Sam and glared at him "So don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it feels to be a warrior because - because that is the worst thing I'll ever be! And I never want to be that again!"

"So - " said the Doctor blinking back the tears that had come to her eyes, feeling the silence tremble with the fury and wrath that she had possessed for years "So, this is why I never carry weapons. Because you never know who is going to get hurt. Because if people see you mean them no harm, they will never hurt you."

There was silence in the TARDIS, loud and damning and Peter didn't know what to do except stare in disbelief and shock at the Doctor's outburst. The Doctor saw Peter's expression and she felt so exhausted and tired and sighed. 

"Sorry. For scaring you. It's just - I can't always keep doing this!" snapped the Doctor as she rubbed her forehead tiredly pressing a few buttons "Can't the universe ever let me rest?"

"Why is it always me?" asked the Doctor, thinking of John who wanted to hurt her until she begged for mercy "Why can't it be anyone else?" 

Peter looked anxiously and worriedly as he approached the Doctor and placed his hand on her shoulder "Doctor, it isn't your fault that you didn't save them. It isn't your fault. You didn't know. You are not responsible for the destruction of his planet." 

"But I'm responsible for this one. For Earth. For every single person on Earth." said the Doctor thinking of all her companions past and present who had been the best of her, who had given her a home on Earth. 

"We are here. You are not alone. We can save Earth together." said Peter in determination and reassurance as he looked at the Doctor. 

"Oh, human beings. I thought I'd never get done saving you." said the Doctor with a small sigh as she thought of all the times that she had saved Earth without credit, free of charge. 

Suddenly the lights of the TARDIS went off and the ship shuddered and everyone looked at at each other and then the Doctor in fright and Bucky asked "Is that supposed to happen?" 

"Take a guess!" said the Doctor as she pushed some levers frantically, rushing around the console.

"No?" answered Bucky looking at the Doctor who was frustrated and puzzled. 

"That's the one!" said the Doctor and stamped her foot in frustration "Something is getting through my shields and into my TARDIS! It's shutting down the power but - hold on!" 

"What is it?" asked Peter who was holding onto the console as ship shuddered and groaned "I thought nothing could get through these doors!" 

"Well, clearly it can!" yelled the Doctor who was activating every protocol and defense mechanism she had "I've landed the TARDIS somewhere in Brooklyn and activated the Protection Protocols - we should be safe for now."

"What do you mean for now?" asked Sam who was holding onto the comfy chair of the TARDIS as the Doctor tried to regain momentum of the TARDIS "What happens when now is over?" 

"I've thought about it." said the Doctor who was flipping on switches frantically. 

"And?" asked Peter, Sam and Bucky together as they looked towards the Doctor for guidance and protection because she was the only one who could control this ship.

"Whatever is coming for us will torture, hurt and kill us horribly." said the Doctor as she took out her sonic screwdriver and sonicked the console and nodded at all of them who were staring at her dumbstruck "See, I've thought about it!" 

"I always feel so good after talking to you." said Sam with a groan as he shook his head at the Doctor. 

"It's infiltrating the ship, creating another dimension within this ship -" began the Doctor as she looked at the readings on the screen and before she could continue, alarms started screeching as the smoke and fumes erupted within the TARDIS and everyone started coughing. The Doctor coughed realizing that the fuel was leaking and she tried not to breathe in the smoke and found the buttons that cleared all the toxic fumes and pushed it and it worked, clearing the toxic fumes from the console room. The TARDIS moaned and groaned angrily in pain and finally everyone took in deep breaths of fresh air that the console room offered, filling their lungs with it in relief.

The Doctor was the first one to notice "Peter? Where's Peter?" 

Sam and Bucky looked around and realized that Peter was gone too and their eyes widened in shock and fright but it was nothing compared to the expression of alarm and panic spread on the Doctor's face "Peter? Parker Peter? Peter Parker? Where is he?" 

"Did he go leave?" asked Bucky trying to calm the scared Doctor down but the Doctor had already taken her screw driver and was reading something on it.

"He's inside this ship. He's lost in this ship." said the Doctor breathing easily but then realized there was something that infiltrated her ship and it could probably be with Peter. 

"How do you know?" asked Sam in relief because he did like the kid and didn't want anything bad happening to him.

"I put a tracker in his key." replied the Doctor casually as she pocketed her screwdriver.

"You - what?" 

"Don't judge me. My companions never understand the rule 'Don't wander off', so this is the only way I can find them when they wander off." replied the Doctor as her face grew serious and hardened. 

"But this ship is big. It's really big. How big is this ship?" asked Bucky looking around the darkened console room while the Doctor took a decision. 

"Picture the biggest ship that you have ever seen." said the Doctor as she turned around and walked past Bucky who looked at the woman dressed like a man, with her white shirt sleeves rolled up, her blue vest and dark black trousers and he thought she looked very hot"Are you picturing it?" 

"Yes." 

"Good. Now forget it. Because this ship is infinite." said the Doctor firmly, worried and troubled about Peter Parker. 

"It'll take you hours to find, Peter." said Sam with a shrug as he looked at the Doctor who was playing with some switches and wiggling some buttons.

"Yes, perhaps even days." said the Doctor, her jaw clenched at the thought of Peter hurt or even worse dead "And this whole place is toxic, so Peter could be dead by the time I reach him. So here's the mission. We're going to find Peter in one hour." 

"We?" asked Sam, his eyes widening as he looked at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at Bucky and Sam firmly "Aren't you heroes? This is your kind of work." 

"But you said this ship has been infiltrated by something dangerous and it's toxic." said Sam reasoning with the Doctor who wore no expression at all but her eyes were serious "And this is your ship. You know it better than us. What makes you think we will help you?" 

The Doctor pulled down two levers with a dangerous and tense expression as she began "I just activated the TARDIS Self Destruct Protocol. One hour and this ship blows into pieces!" 

Sam tried to make his way to the doors but the Doctor's knowing voice stopped him "Oh, don't try leave. The TARDIS is in lock down. I'll open those doors when Peter Parker is safely by my side." 

"You crazy lady!" yelled Sam as he marched towards the Doctor and glared at her. 

She smirked at him and said in a loud and authoritative voice "My ship! My rules!" 

"Doctor, you're going to kill us all and Peter." said Bucky gently but he was afraid of this mad woman too because he saw the countdown on the screens rapidly ticking away. 

"Peter's going to die anyway if you don't help me." said the Doctor nonchalantly and then smirked at Bucky and Sam who were trying to open the TARDIS doors which were locked, just as the Doctor said "Don't get into a time machine with a mad lady. Didn't anyone teach you that?" 

"Okay, it seems I have to speed things up here, so how about we reduce the countdown to thirty minutes!" said the Doctor with a grin as she rolled her eyes, enjoying how Bucky and Sam's eyes widened in horror as she flicked on the switch that made the countdown to thirty minutes. 

"We're all going to die!" yelled Sam wondering why he had ever stepped into this space ship.

"We all die some day. Today is as good as any day." said the Doctor, her eyes gleaming in a devilish way that scared the living daylights out of two grown men who had gone through hell "People perform better under pressure anyway so anybody here want to go for five minutes?" 

"NO!" shouted Bucky and Sam as the Doctor raised her hand to press the button that would reduce the countdown. 

The Doctor smiled in satisfaction "Alright then. It's your own time your wasting. Now, let's go and find Peter Parker." 

"You're mad!" exclaimed Sam as the Doctor threw them both respirators to breathe through the toxic fumes. "You're completely mad! We're going to die here because of a kid?" 

"What happened to heroes?" muttered the Doctor as she made her way through the corridors followed by Bucky and Sam and then loudly said "I already know I'm mad. Tell me something I don't know." 

"Ben and James. What are they going to do, huh?" asked Sam challengingly and the Doctor tensed for a moment but she kept walking "What are they going to do when they realize that you are dead?" 

"They'll move on." said the Doctor carelessly but she did hope that she would get out of this alive to see Ben and James again "That's what you do when life gives you death, you mourn, you grieve but you move on." 

"Why are they friends with you?" asked Sam looking at her as he shook his head "You are an insane psychopath!" 

The Doctor was silent for a moment because that was a good question. Why had all her companions been her friends? Why was Ben and James traveling with her, being friends with her when they had seen what she was capable of?

Her thoughts landed on Peter. The boy that she had grown fond of. The boy who had made her smile with his enthusiasm for science and his kindness and determination. She was over two thousand years old and she had grown so old that she was no longer innocent and pure. But Peter Parker was so young compared to her and through him, every day she got to see the universe anew, as he asked her interesting and fascinating questions and chattered about his friends and his life. Peter Parker had become like a son to him and today she had asked him with hope in her hearts to join her to travel among the stars. And now this had happened even before she could take him to his first alien planet or wherever he wanted to go. Through the readings of the sonic screw driver and the scanner in the TARDIS, the Doctor had learned that it was the multiform who had infiltrated the TARDIS to feed on its energy. And now Peter was lost in the TARDIS with the multiform that probably had hundreds of disguises and forms that it could take. Peter could protect himself but the Doctor felt responsible. She has asked him to come away with her, she had led him into her TARDIS and into her life which was very dangerous. And now, if anything happened to Peter who was under her protection, the Doctor could not bear that. The Doctor was going to find Peter very soon and make sure that multiform would get the hell out of her TARDIS. 

But Sam Wilson was not making it easy for her.

"And you are a coward who calls yourself a hero." retorted the Doctor not wanting her mind to wander into all these anxiety ridden questions that she would get trapped in. 

"How dare you? You don't know anything we've been through and yet you act like you do!" snapped Sam while Bucky was trying his best not to shoot them both "Ever since you've been here, you have been condescending, hostile and selfish! For God's sake, you could be a threat! Tell me in one word why we should trust you?" 

The Doctor turned around this time and one word fell from her lips "Tony." 


	15. Chapter 15

"DOCTOR!" screamed Peter for the tenth time as he walked in the dark passages of the groaning TARDIS, feeling lost and hopeless "DOCTOR!"

Peter looked around the unfamiliar, dark passage not knowing where he was. One moment, he was in the TARDIS console room and then the next thing he knew was something had grabbed him and he was knocked out as he woke up in this passage unconscious. He had glimpsed it, the woman in the university, the multiform but now his sensors detected nothing. Not yet. He was alert and vigilant as he took one step and then another as he wonders where he is. He wonders where the Doctor is. Is she looking for him? Is she as worried as he is right now?

He took in deep breaths trying to calm himself down as he mumbled in a panicked voice "Doctor. Where are you? Where am I? I don't know where I am."

"The TARDIS. You're lost in the TARDIS." said the Doctor suddenly appearing out of nowhere in front of him in her wacky wildly colorful coat, dark patched up brown trousers and heavy ankle boots appeared in front of him.

"Doctor?" asked Peter who jumped back in surprise at her sudden appearance but feeling relief overwhelm him as he reached out to the Doctor but realized that she was a hologram.

"I'm a hologram. I'm a part of the Protection Protocols that have been activated in the event of distress or sudden attack." said the hologram Doctor looking at Peter who nodded, feeling down hearted that it wasn't really the Doctor.

"Oh. So you're not really here." said Peter holding back a sigh as he looked at the image of the Doctor.

"No. But I have a message from the Doctor who is connected to me psychically. She wants you to know that a multiform is loose on this ship and the air is toxic. The Doctor informs you the TARDIS is activated to protect you from harm. Follow the Protection Protocols and all will be well." said the Doctor in a manner of a robot to Peter who listened to this information very carefully.

"Okay. So I just have to find the console room. Where is the console room?" asked Peter, his brain questioning and strategizing and thinking quickly. 

"The TARDIS has been infiltrated by an unknown multiform. So therefore it is wounded animal so it will reinvent itself but because of the Protection Protocols it will lead you to where you need to be." said the Doctor in a emotionless voice that made Peter frustrated. 

"What?" yelled Peter glaring at the Doctor.

"Calm down." said the Doctor who seemed uncaring and cold and Peter realized that it wasn't his Doctor, the real Doctor. It was just an image. A projection. "The Doctor has another important message for you." 

"What's that?" asked Peter as he folded his arms, feeling so alone in this cold and dark passage. 

"That no matter how lost you feel or how far you are, she is coming for you. She apologizes for the danger she put you in and wants you to know that she will find you and take you home safely." said the hologram Doctor with a hint of a smile that made Peter's heart clench with longing and loneliness and then she smiled at him "Peter Parker, run for your life!" 

The hologram of the Doctor vanished and Peter wondered what she meant when he realized that the threat sensors were beeping and he quickly ducked the gun shot that the woman had shot at him and started swinging quickly, as he shot back with his web shooters. The door with a blue button quickly opened and Peter ran into it and before the multiform could follow him, the door closed keeping Peter safe. 

Peter caught his breath and realized that he was not in a room but a garden. A garden with spiraled shining emerald trees and different shades of shy blossoms and blooming flowers and exotic fruits that were beyond Peter's dreams and imagination. Peter forgot about the dangerous multiform and the threats to the world for a moment as he gasped in delight and smiled at the gorgeous and widespread garden in front of him. He could see a bubbling fountain, with hints of shimmering pink and the architecture was magnificent and mind blowing. The garden was beautiful and bright, and he could feel the warmth and smell the fragrance of every flower in the air. 

He couldn't believe it. A garden in a spaceship. He just - Peter was speechless. Was this real or was he dreaming?

"This is - it's - wow!" exclaimed Peter as he walked through the garden of green grass that seemed to sing sweetly "Magical!" 

"Tress in a space ship." said a sweet and teasing voice that got his attention and he turned to see a girl with mischievous brown eyes and dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders sitting on the fountain "Are you impressed yet?" 

"Um -" began Peter looking around him in wonder and then at the girl who was looking at him with a teasing but curious smile "It's definitely impossible." 

"She likes impossible." said the girl with a grin that made Peter feel better "Oh typical Doctor. Showing off her vehicle, hoping to impress people she wants to be friends with." 

"Sorry, I don't want to be rude. But who are you?" asked Peter wondering who on earth this strange but pretty girl was.

"Oh, I'm Clara Oswald. The Impossible Girl." said Clara as she stood up and walked towards Peter with a smile "I was born to save the Doctor." 

"Oh, well nice to meet you." said Peter politely offering his hand to Clara and then realizing that she was also a hologram. "I'm Peter."

"I know who you are, Spiderboy. I'm part of the Protection Protocols. The Doctor has installed his memories of me to the TARDIS to the Protection Protocols in the event of distress or sudden attack." said Clara with a cheeky grin "Now follow me, the multiform will be here any moment and we have to get you out of here." 

Peter followed Clara quickly and she smiled at him "You're new, aren't you?" 

Peter nodded and Clara was silent as she walked beside Peter who was full of questions "The Doctor never told me about you. Who are you?" 

"I'm the Impossible Girl." said Clara with an optimistic smile that made Peter raise his eyebrows at her "The Doctor and I, we go way back. I met her a long time ago, in a Dalek Asylum where I died saving her life. And then as a barmaid and governess in Victorian London where I died again. And then in modern day England where I was working as a nanny. I've met her, every one of her. I've seen her sometimes before even though she didn't always see me."

"How can you be existing and then dying in different places in different time zones?" asked Peter puzzled and confused as he looked at Clara "That's impossible." 

"That's why I'm her Impossible Girl." said Clara with a small smile that held more memories that Peter Parker would never know "Shall I tell you the answer or do you want to figure it yourself?" 

"There is a multiform chasing us so I'd be ever grateful if you could get me to the console room first." replied Peter sassily as he looked around and then saw a man with a rabbit and both of them started running. 

"I see why she likes you!" replied Clara with a carefree laugh as Peter swung from tree to tree "The Doctor was dying and to save the Doctor I entered her time stream. The time winds tore me into countless different iterations of myself. A million versions of myself, living and dying all over time and space, like echoes."

Peter shot the multiform with his strong webs as he listened to Clara in amazement "You're very brave. You must have loved her very much!" 

"I still do!" said Clara running through the path of trees while Peter swung from tree to tree like Tarzan.

Peter asked the ultimate question "Are you still in her time stream?" 

"No! She entered her own time stream and rescued me!" 

"That is suicide! Entering one's own time stream would kill them!" yelled Peter who was amazed at the Doctor's dedication and devotion to Clara. 

"That's the Doctor for you!" replied Clara as she ran and ran. 

"Why aren't you traveling with her anymore?" asked Peter who was curious as he swung speedily trying to get away from the multiform who was destroying the Doctor's garden. 

"I died facing the raven. But the Doctor, she doesn't like endings. She was desperate and went too far by using Time Lord technology to extract me a second before my death between one heartbeat and the next. She threatened to fracture time and space itself to stop my death, despite it being a fixed point." explained hologram Clara guiding Peter through another path from the multiform who was chasing them. 

Peter was taken aback and shocked at that as he stared at the girl wondering how much the Doctor must have cared for her to go so far her to break all of time and space "She must have cared about you too much. I can't imagine her being so afraid of losing anyone else." 

Hologram Clara paid no attention to that as she continued the story nodding Peter to follow her "The Doctor had to have her memory of me wiped to allow her to return and restore the timeline. She forgot me and it was like our friendship never happened. But then she ran and remembered me." 

Clara saw that the multiform was close and she opened the door that led them out of the garden and she said "Get out now!" 

"What about you?" asked Peter who was concerned about Clara. 

"I'm a hologram, you idiot!" snapped Clara as she looked at the multiform and then Peter ran through the door and as the doors started to close she said "Tell the Doctor something from me" 

"What?" 

"Run, you clever girl and be a Doctor." said Clara with a bright and cheeky smile and the doors closed leaving Peter in a new and dark passage.

* * *

"So, what is your plan?" asked Bucky who had been silent for some time as he watched the Doctor scanning the TARDIS with her screwdriver. 

"Find Peter." said the Doctor wishing Ben was here to calm him and give him some words of advice or crack a joke that would really help. 

"That isn't a plan. That's the goal." said Bucky who was shaking his head at her. 

"It's a beginning of plan. You need a goal for a plan. Winston Churchill said that." said the Doctor in exasperation because her patience was running out at how long the readings were taking. 

"I don't think - I don't think he said that." said Bucky taken aback in amusement. 

"No. I'm sure he said that. He's my mate. Winston, dear old Winston. KBO." sad the Doctor and her eyes widened at the readings "Peter has exited the garden which is completely destroyed by the way but it's strange." 

"What's strange?" asked Sam curiously.

"Nothing." said the Doctor pocketing her screwdriver and thinking it over again. Why would the readings say that the TARDIS garden was perfectly fine and then switch onto say that it was destroyed. It didn't make sense. 

She took out her screwdriver again. The garden was fine and then destroyed. Fine and then destroyed. Bloody hell which one was it? And why was it giving this reading?

Bucky looked at the Doctor who was hiding something and then discreetly hoping that Sam wouldn't hear "Doctor, you are hiding something." 

"Come on." said the Doctor who was surprised at the way that this man saw through her immediately as if he had done this before "No time to lose. Mr. Peter is on the move. We have to get to him before the multiform does."

* * *

Peter could hear whispers as he ran through the corridors before the multiform could get to him and there was another door that was in front of him. Peter's eyes widened in hope as he quickened his pace hoping that the door wasn't password or fingerprint locked, praying that it would open for him as he heard the snarl of the multiform behind him. It was now in it's true form, darkened and ugly, twisted and bitter. Peter flung a web blocking the multiform buying him a few moments to run towards the door that immediately opened for him and closed quickly when it saw the multiform had gotten free out of the web.

Peter took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes and fell onto the floor in relief. He could sense that the TARDIS was protecting him and defending him against the multiform that was threatening to kill him and he was so grateful. The ship was so alive, just like the Doctor had told him and now it was keeping him alive. It was the most strangest and magical and life changing experience that Peter had ever had and it was hard to believe that this had been only an hour of one Friday night because it felt like a lifetime. 

He saw that he was in a large library, ancient and brand new at the same time. It was filled with endless racks of books with golden spines and hard leather bound covers. Books that moved and arranged themselves according to authors and dates and years of publications. Row after row of neatly lined up books with their golden spines facing outward, color coded and Peter saw that the fiction section was arranged according to the ones that the Doctor found most interesting. Peter discovered that the Doctor was a huge fan of Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie and Jane Austen and he smiled in fascination at his discoveries. Some books were dusty and old hardcovers but some were brand new paperbacks. The library was beautiful and elegant but there was an air of muffled silence as Peter looked around for the multiform among the exotic and blindingly colorful floor cushions, comfortable leather arm chairs, tables for quiet study, shelves of home videos and a hologram projector tucked away. 

As Peter wanders around the library, he is drawn towards a section that is dark and closed and he sees a large book tucked away, almost as if it was protected and shielded away from everyone. 

Peter knows that he should be finding a way out of the library but he is drawn towards this beautiful leather cover book with golden spine like a moth drawn to the flame. He has a feeling he shouldn't open this book but he really badly wants to open it and read all the secrets it holds so he can figure out who the Doctor is. 

"The History of The Time War." 

He opens the elegantly lettered book and begins to read and every word he reads swirls around him and begins to form a picture around him. He sees a war, a war to end all wars between the Timelords and the Daleks and he sees children crying and screaming, everything crashing and burning. Peter has seen war before, he had fought in a war before but he had never seen a war like this. And as he read, the pictures swirled around him and he began to take everything in, his head muddled and his heart racing as the book started to read and show him the truth that the Doctor had been hiding from him for so long. 

" _There was a war._

_The war between the Daleks and the Timelords with the whole of creation at stake. The whole universe convulsed, every moment in time and space burning. The war to end all wars between the Timelords and the Daleks. And in that battle, there was a man with more blood on his hands than any other. The man who would commit a crime that would silence the universe._

_The Doctor._

_The Doctor of War._

_Legend says the Doctor led the battle at the last day of the Time War. He was there at the fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city._

_Arcadia has fallen!_

_No More._

_Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro. I serve notice on you all. Too long I have stayed my hand._

_No More._

_Today you leave me no choice. Today this war will end._

_No More._

_I lived. Every_ _one else died._

_I made it happen!_

_I walked away from the Last Great Time War!_

_Just me!_

_Genocide_

_All of them but not you which must mean that - I was the only one who could end it._

_I intend to end it the only way I can._

_Someone must make a choice._

_Genocide._

_The most terrible choice._

_The moment is coming. You have to decide_

_Are you ready, Doctor?_

_There is no other way._

_Because this is my life, it's not fun, it's not smart. It's standing up and making a decision, because nobody else will._

_How did it feel two almighty civilizations burning?_

_What I did, I did without choice._

_Either I destroy my own people or the universe burns._

_How many children on Gallifrey?_

_2.47 billion._

_What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way. And it is done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save._

_These are the people you are going to burn?_

_Billions will die. Mothers, sons, fathers, daughters_

_Is that the end of it? The time war?_

_I see it in his eyes every day. He'd do anything to change it._

_When they died, that part of me died with them._

_My entire planet died! My whole family! Did you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them!_

_I can never go back - I just can't!_

_Be a Doctor._

_I've had four hundred years to think about this and I've changed my mind._

_But where would Gallifrey be?_

_Frozen. In an instant of time. Safe and hidden away._

_Hello! Hello! Gallifrey High Command. This is the Doctor speaking._

_Hello! Also the Doctor. Can you hear me?_

_Also the Doctor. Standing ready._

_Dear god, three of them. All my worst nightmares at once._

_General, we have a plan._

_We should point out that at this moment it is a fairly terrible plan._

_Just about ready to do it._

_Ready to do what?_

_We're going to freeze Gallifrey._

_Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time._

_A single moment in time held in a parallel pocket universe._

_What? Even if that were possible which it isn't, why would you do such a thing?_

_Because the alternative is burning._

_And I've seen that._

_And I never want to see it again._

_We'd be lost in another universe. Frozen in a single moment. We'd have nothing._

_You would have hope! And right now that is exactly what you don't have._

_It's delusional! The calculations alone would take hundreds of years._

_Oh hundreds and hundreds._

_But don't worry. I started a very long time ago._

_You might say I've been doing this all my lives._

_Sir! The Daleks know that something is happening! They're increasing their firepower._

_Do it, Doctor! Just do it. Do it!_

_Okay. Gentlemen, we're ready._

_GERONIMO !!!!_

_Allons - y !!!!_

_Absolutely Fantastic !!!!_

_Let's get on with it, ay?_

_Reverse the polarity!_

_Fully primed._

_Perfect._

_Now._

_Hold tight everyone!_

_For god's sake. Gallifrey Stands!_

_I don't suppose we'll ever know if we actually succeeded. But at worst, we failed doing the right thing. As opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong._

_My people are alive. They didn't die. I bought them back. I found a way."_

Peter felt dizzy as the pictures faded away and he processed all that information that he had read and seen. He wondered what the hell he had just seen because he had read and seen destruction and devastation, heroics and heartbreaks and then finally after all the years of regret, the Doctor, all of the Doctors in all of their lifetimes saving Gallifrey their home planet by freezing it into an single moment in time held in a parallel pocket universe. It was brilliant, a genius move - Peter had to admit that and it was risky freezing a whole planet full of people but she had done it. She had succeeded. Peter had seen her fight the war, he had seen her regret save so many worlds and then seen her save her home with the help of all her past and future selves, through the pages of the book.

The Doctor was the woman who committed genocide because she wanted to end the war. The Doctor was the woman who ran away in her blue box saving every universe that needed a helping hand. And finally, the Doctor was the woman who changed her mind about the big red button that would burn and destroy billions and found a way to save her people and her home.

But he had so many questions. Were all of those faces hers? How was it possible for one woman to have so many faces, young and old? 

And the Doctor had told him that her planet was burned to the ground and she was the last of her kind but yet he had seen her save them. Was she lying to him? 

Within those pages, as he had seen history happen and swirl around him, in a tiny corner of a page in that book he had read the Doctor's name. It was vague but he remembered it as it thundered through his head loudly. The answer to the question everyone had about her the moment the Doctor entered their lives.

Doctor Who?

Her name, her real name was hidden. It was beautiful and elegant, simple and devastating, a promise of ruin and destruction and her name was different and so strong that the universe would collapse at the mention of it. And now, Peter was burdened with the knowledge of his teacher's name and he was tempted to say it out loud.

His tongue itched to say her real name, to get it out of his head but a cool and dangerous voice cut across startling him "Don't you dare." 

He looked and saw Professor River Song who was sipping champagne and Peter felt his heart lodged in his throat and he had the sudden urge to vomit "Her real name - it's not the Doctor - her real name is -" 

"Don't you dare say it!" said Professor River Song in a strict and commanding voice that made Peter feel like a naughty second grader. 

"Sorry." said Peter leaning onto the bookshelves, trying to catch his breath and clear his head after all he had seen, read and learned "Sorry. It's just - it's - I never expected this - it's just too much, Professor."

"Just call me River." said River with a smile as she looked at Peter "Breathe in and breathe out. Come on. Concentrate on one thing and breathe and breathe out." 

Peter did as she said and finally came back to his normal state and looked at River "So - what are you a Professor of?" 

"Archaeology. Love a tomb." 

"The Doctor. She's - she's not who I thought she was." said Peter looking at River who was walking and guiding him through the bookshelves "She killed her own people. She committed genocide. And then she saved them. But she told me that she is the last of her kind." 

"She did save her own people a long time ago." said River with a nod of her head "Until her oldest friend decided to burn Gallifrey down because of an important secret the Timelords kept from all of them. A secret that changed who she thought she was." 

"Who is her oldest friend?" asked Peter curiously. 

"The Master." replied River knowingly. 

Peter was taken aback at the response and then shook his head "No! That can't be true. She can't be friends with the person who destroyed John's planet." 

"Oh well. Their friendship is very complicated. The Master burns everything to get her attention and she swoops in and saves the day." said River in a voice that was knowing and teasing as she led him to the place where the hologram projector was and then pointed at one of the home videos "Take that and put in the hologram projector. You'll understand better."

Peter did as he was told and the hologram projector flickered into life. And there in film were two teenagers standing in pretentious red and gold robes laughing as they talked and Peter immediately recognized the Doctor. 

Peter knew that he shouldn't be able to recognize the Doctor because he was a young and handsome teenage boy but there in that hologram projector Peter knew exactly who the Doctor was out of the two of them. 

It wasn't anything he unique said or anything special he did that made Peter recognize him but it was just his kind and childish smile or the way he threw back his head and laughed at something the other boy was saying to him. It was maybe how he listened to the other boy and then shook his head knowingly and interrupted with his clever smirk that would disrupt the other boy's argument. The Doctor had a different face and this boy looked nothing to the Doctor who Peter knew now but Peter knew in his heart that this was the Doctor as a child. The two boys were both very close to each other. Peter could immediately tell that they had grown up together as childhood friends. Even though they squabbled like brothers, they listened to each other and respected each other and when one would make a clever remark or a funny joke, the other would smile brightly and laugh loudly. 

_"Our teacher quit today - he made him quit because he asked too many questions about the universe!" said the Master with a big grin that seemed maniacal while the Doctor smiled shyly as he shrugged and shook his head "And it's the hundred and fiftieth teacher that's resigned from the Academy because of your inquisitive mind! That's a record!"_

_The two boys wrestle playfully as the Master ruffles the Doctor's hair and the Doctor grins and his eyes are shining with honesty and innocence "I don't mean to make them resign - honestly! It's just I really am curious about the universe! Why can't they answer my questions?"_

_"Because they are daft and thick." replied the Master with a laugh while the Doctor shook his head but he was laughing too. "They can't keep up with your brilliance."_

_"You think I'm brilliant?" asked the Doctor looking at the Master in pleasant surprise, as if his best friend's opinion mattered most of all to him._

_"Of course. I just don't tell it to you because I don't want your ego to grow bigger!" replied the Master rolling his eyes at the Doctor who whacked the Master on the back of his head._

_"Oh bugger off! Yours is bigger than mine!" retorted the Doctor shoving the Master playfully with a laugh._

_"Let's not go there!" replied the Master with a grin as he winked at the Doctor._

_"Shut up!"_

_"Want to know something about this guy?" asked the Master with a laugh as he looked at the Doctor fondly 'He got hundred and fifty qualified teachers from the Academy to resign from their own will because of his inquisitive mind, graffitied the wall of Arcadia, he blew up Rassilion's beard -_

_"Not on purpose!"_

_"And he failed his TARDIS piloting test!" completed the Master with a mocking and teasing grin while the Doctor glared at him fondly and then the Master looked at the Doctor with a small and fond smile "Sometimes, I think you like getting into trouble."_

_"And I think you like creating trouble." replied the Doctor with his quick wit and perceptive mind with a smile as he looked at the Master._

_"You do know me." said the Master with a shrug and the Doctor's smile faded a little "And that's why we are best friends."_

_The Doctor and Master smiled at each other brilliantly and affectionately and then the Doctor said "Shall we make a pact?"_

_"A pact? You've aroused my curiosity." replied the Master with a grin but he was curious._

_"Every star in the universe, let's go see them all." said the Doctor earnestly, his eyes shining with friendship and hope as he offered his hand to the Master "Together."_

_The Master took the Doctor's hand and shook it firmly as he nodded with a smile "Together."_

The two boys laughed and then the hologram projector flickered and the images died, leaving nothing but silence in the library. Peter was silent, trying to understand everything that had happened. He smiled at the images of the two boys, the Doctor and the Master. One who possessed an air of arrogance and wore it well and one who possessed an air of brilliance but wanted to see the universe not conquer it. Two boys with two very different desires and paths but ultimately best friends in the end. Childhood friends who couldn't shake off the old nostalgia of the simple joys of youth and wanted to go back to what they had before everything crashed and burned down. 

But Peter still had questions. 

How was the Doctor a grown woman now but a young boy then?

And how did the Doctor have faces of so many young and old men and a one very pretty blonde woman?

And for how long had the Doctor lived?

What was the secret that the Master uncovered? 

What happened to the Doctor and Master for them to take different paths and fight against each other, instead of journeying together to see the stars? 

"A friendship older than your civilization and infinitely more complex." said River after a moment, startling Peter who almost forgot that she was there "I know you have questions but now is not the time for answers. The library is the most protected room but the multiform can get in." 

Peter nodded and he looked at the beautiful woman who he recognized from the pictures. The woman who appeared at the times when the Doctor needed her the most. The woman who the Doctor can always see and will always listen to but would never acknowledge because it was too painful for her. The woman who the Doctor talked about rarely to him from time to time. The woman whose name had dropped from the Doctor's lips when John had called the Doctor a term of sweet endearment. 

_"My dear Doctor, that would take all the fun out of our date. I want it to be a surprise for you, sweetie." said John with an affectionate simpering smirk that the Doctor immediately disliked._

_"Only River Song gets to call me that." said the Doctor in a firm and strong voice._

_"And who is River Song?" asked John rolling his eyes at the Doctor._

_"An old friend of mine." replied the Doctor with a powerful and proud smile and Peter smiled at the Doctor, knowing that the Doctor still cherished and cared about the lady with the space hair._

Peter smiled as he came to a realization, connecting the dots between the pictures, the Doctor and this lady and said "You're the Woman." 

"I'm sorry?" asked River who looked at Peter who was following her. 

"The Woman who married the Doctor." said Peter wondering why on earth it had taken so long for him to realize it and then realized that it was the Doctor he was coming to conclusions about. This woman was confusing as hell. "You're the woman she married but doesn't talk about very often. You're the woman the Doctor loves." 

"Am I?" asked River with a small smile as she led the way and Peter noticed that she did not look at him. 

"Yeah. She still wears the wedding ring." said Peter as he looked at River with a small smile. "She loves you in a way she doesn't love anyone else."

"Sentimental idiot. She should move on and find someone new." said River shaking her head as she smiled "I have been dead for a very long time now." 

"You and the Doctor?" asked Peter curiously "How did that happen?" 

"I was her best friends child and I was kidnapped and engineered as a weapon to be a psychopath to kill the Doctor." informed River with a smirk at Peter who was shocked, reeling with disbelief. 

"Oh." was all Peter could manage and he added "That's a really interesting meet-cute. Not many people can say that." 

"I was engineered to kill her but when I met the Doctor, I couldn't help it. I fell in love with her. She was clever and funny and gorgeous and knew everything about me. Imagine what that does to a girl." said River with a smile that was full of love and affection "Her death was a fixed point in time and when I refused to kill her, time disintegrated. So I married her and killed her at the same time to fix everything back."

"If you killed her, how can she be here?" asked Peter curiously, wondering what more secrets the Doctor was hiding.

"The Doctor had a plan. She's always ten steps ahead of everyone. She came up with a plan to have a Teselecta, a humanoid starship staffed with a crew, to take on her form to fool everyone into thinking that she had died." explained River to Peter who was listening in fascination to this adventurous life of River and the Doctor "After I stopped myself from killing the Doctor, it fractured a fixed point in time and created an alternate timeline. In the alternate timeline, the Doctor remained in control of the Teselecta, changing it's outer appearance to make it appear as if she had aged to avoid suspicion. Eventually, the Doctor married me and revealed to me that she and the TARDIS was safe inside the Teselecta. So, it was a relief when I saw her alive and I knew that I wouldn't suffer if I have to kill the Doctor more than every living thing in the universe. So, knowing that I wouldn't actually kill the Doctor, we kissed restoring the universe." 

Peter was silent for a moment and then exclaimed "Wow! That's just awesome! That's not a regular boring love story! You literally restored the universe with a kiss!" 

"Yes." said River with a melodious laugh and then they heard a hiss and exchanged anxious glances. 

"The exit is almost near, come on!" said River nodding her head and gesturing towards Peter who followed her quickly and saw the door opening for him.

"Go. This will take you to the Doctor." said River with a smile as her curly hair bounced all over "And tell her, tell the Doctor that she is loved by so many and so much and by no one more than me." 

Peter nodded his head as he said gratefully to River, the doors closing "Thank you River." 

* * *

"Where is the kid?" asked Sam in frustration as he pointed his gun, hearing a hissing sound. 

The Doctor didn't seem the least bit worried about the hissing, instead she was hitting her sonic screwdriver on the wall of the TARDIS "Come on! Work, work,work! You have to work!" 

"What's wrong with it?" asked Bucky coming towards the Doctor who was hitting the sonic screwdriver repeatedly on the wall in frustration.

The Doctor calmed down when she felt Bucky's presence near her "It's giving off confusing readings. It's never done that before and I don't like it!" 

"Okay. Maybe we should just take a deep breath and think. Obviously Peter's in this ship, we just need to find him. And you know this ship better than any of us." said Bucky wisely to the Doctor who was taking in the readings that her sonic screwdriver was producing. "So if anyone can find Peter, it's you." 

The Doctor calmed down as she looked at Bucky who looked at her gently and trustingly and she felt a little foolish for throwing a temper tantrum in front of him. She also realized that he was right. She knew this ship better than anyone else did and she just needed to use her brains and understand what these readings were trying to tell her. 

"Yes. You're right." admitted the Doctor with a sigh as she looked at Bucky who gave her a small smile and she took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and began to think.

She had begun her thinking process and there was no stopping her as she opened her eyes and pointed at Sam "Sam - turn away from me, your face is putting me off." 

"What?" yelped Sam indignantly but Bucky shushed him.

"Just do what she says!" 

"You! The one with blue eyes!" said the Doctor pointing at Bucky who was startled and surprised "Stay exactly where you are! You are helping me think better!" 

Bucky smiled and the Doctor started to think as she paced and walked through the corridors of the TARDIS while Sam and Bucky followed her "Alright Doctor, think! A very dangerous multiform that escaped from Stormcage, on the run from the Judoon is now infiltrating your TARDIS and taking down the defenses, power and controls one by one. That is not good. It's extremely not very good. So it must be incredibly powerful to infiltrate through my TARDIS shields."

"Okay. Enough about the multiform, where is Peter Parker? The location in the tracker in his key says that he was in the garden but we searched the garden and he wasn't there. And the sonic screwdriver stated that the garden was destroyed and then it was fine but the garden wasn't destroyed, it was absolutely fine. There was no sign of Peter. Right now, Peter left the library but - oh Doctor! You are so stupid!" 

"Why didn't I think of this before? I saw it and I missed it!" said the Doctor loudly as she realized her mistake and slapped herself several times. 

"What?" asked Bucky who was eager to know what the Doctor was thinking. 

"Oh, you are an idiot, Doctor! The multiform infiltrated the TARDIS and created another dimension in the TARDIS that is exactly similar to my real TARDIS which is why the screwdriver kept on giving confused readings. And so that means - that means Peter is trapped in that other dimension with the multiform while we are here walking in circles!" exclaimed the Doctor as she gave herself one final slap as they entered the console room. "The multiform wanted to escape and so it's feeding on the time energy of the TARDIS but my girl is smart! She won't go down without a fight!" 

"This is the console room!" exclaimed Sam in confusion "We have been walking around in circles!" 

"Of course, we've been walking around in circles! Don't you see? The TARDIS is wounded and it's snarling at us so it's trying to shut us out! But - she knows it's me. She knows that I need her help and she has bought us exactly where we need to be." 

"How is this place where we need to be?" asked Sam trying to keep up with the Doctor's incessant blabbering, most of which didn't make sense. 

"Because in a few moments, in another dimension, Peter Parker will be reaching the console room. He's trapped inside while we are trapped outside. We need to create a portal and pull Peter out of that dimension and delete it out of the TARDIS which will kill the multiform." said the Doctor full of energy now that she knew what she was dealing with. 

"How do we do that?" asked Bucky as he watched the Doctor push switches and buttons and pull levers with all her might and he could see that she wouldn't go down without a fight. 

"Well, I need you to do exactly what I say because our lives depend on it." said the Doctor fiercely as she looked at Sam and Bucky "Can you do that? Can you fight to survive under the command of a mad woman?" 

* * *

Peter was running from the multiform as he put up a fight but the multiform was stronger than him as it tore down through the web shooters and webs that were normally strong and held down enemies. Peter felt fear rush through him as he felt the multiform almost catch up to him when a pole bursts out of the wall impaling the multiform. 

Peter gasped, catching his breath not believing what was happening but still very grateful "Thanks TARDIS."

The multiform began to materialize and Peter began to run again but the TARDIS kept defending Peter as the poles burst out of the walls of the corridor quickly and Peter saw a door and immediately rushed in and before the multiform got in, it closed. 

Peter gasped for his breath wondering when he would find the console room and escape this living hell. He was so tired and exhausted, and he just wanted to go home. He wondered whether he would ever see the Doctor again and let out a small strangled sob. He wanted to see the Doctor again. He had run and fought dangerous fugitive alien that could kill him if it caught him, he had learned and seen so much about the Doctor and he had met the Doctor's companions. His head felt dizzy but he knew he had to be strong and get through this lost maze. 

Peter got up and he found that the room that he had rushed into was a room full of keepsakes. Peter breathed in and out as he walked through the room full of children's drawings on the walls, and he grinned at the drawing of a raggedy man and a small girl with ginger hair with the words 'I love you'. It was dusty and old, as if this was a room that was rarely visited. He saw small figurines, cartoons and dolls of a raggedy man in a blue shirt, the girl with ginger hair and the blue and beautiful TARDIS as if it was created by a child. A old cot lays on the floor and Peter kneels by it to take a better look. The cot is old and ancient,very weirdly shaped and wooden but Peter can't help but smile in curiosity at the soft blankets and the planets and stars model that sings when he touches it. The sides of the cot are carved with an ancient circular pattern that probably only the Doctor understands.

Peter wonders whose cot this is. Peter wonders about how many children have slept in this cot. He wonders whether the Doctor is a parent. Has she ever been a parent? Was this her babies' cot? 

Peter stands up and leaves the cot as he sees a blue sweater lying on a chair and a black leather jacket. A tweed jacket and a trench coat. He sees pictures of a pretty young girl with a very old man. 

There were so many different mementos and pictures and books that didn't make any sense to Peter but he was sure that it belonged to the Doctor and was an important part of her history. 

"Shouldn't you be running for your life?" asked a Scottish voice, startling him and nearly making him drop a picture he was holding of the Doctor with a blonde haired girl. 

"You need to stop doing that!" exclaimed Peter as he put the picture down and looked at the girl with ginger hair who he recognized immediately "I know you! You're the woman from the pictures! The Doctor's best friend!" 

"Hi! That's me. Amelia Pond. But you can call me Amy." said Amy with a bright grin as she waved at Peter who smiled at her "The Girl Who Waited." 

"Amy. That means - are you the best friend she lost to the Weeping Angels?" asked Peter his eyes widening at the sight of the hologram Amy with very bright ginger hair "Are you the one who wrote the Afterword?" 

"You're a quick learner, aren't you? No wonder the Doctor likes you!" said Amy with a bright laugh as she smiled at Peter and then nodded at Peter "Come on. We have to go. The multiform will be here any moment now and the Doctor is working on a way to get you out!" 

"But - but you're Amelia Pond! You're the Doctor's best friend that she misses every day!" exclaimed Peter as he followed Amy "What happened? How did you meet the Doctor? Did you travel with her?" 

"The Doctor. My Raggedy Doctor. I met her when I was just a little girl." said Amy to Peter who was amazed. "She crashed in my garden with her magic box." 

"Wow. You must have been with her a long time then." said Peter with a small smile, thinking of the Doctor and a little Amy Pond. 

"No. I waited fourteen years for her. And she came back for me." said Amy as she walked through the room full of sentimental mementos and Peter spotted a motorbike "We traveled together and I married Rory who traveled with us. It was amazing and wonderful and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. My boys and my spaceship." 

"Oh and did I mention the Doctor married our daughter?" asked Amy as she grinned at Peter.

Peter was taken aback at that fact and he managed "River Song is your daughter?" 

"Well her name is Melody Pond but yeah - River Song is my daughter. And the Doctor married her." said Amy with a cheery laugh "Dear lord, I'm his mother - in - law!" 

"So you were her family." stated Peter with a smile as he remembered the pictures that the Doctor had on her desk. 

"Yeah. All of time and space in that beautiful blue box with the Doctor, Rory, River and me. I thought it would never end." said Amy with a smile that faded away for a moment. 

"What happened?" asked Peter quietly. 

"We were just visiting New York. The three of us." said Amy with a smile and Peter froze as he listened "And then the Weeping Angels happened. We created a paradox that would destroy all of them and it worked. We survived and we were about to go on a family outing but a surviving Angel sent Rory back in time." 

Peter had read about this in the crime thriller but hearing this from Amy was totally different. He knew what was going to happen and it was breaking his heart. Because he knew how the story of Amelia Pond ended. 

"The Doctor - one more paradox would rip New York apart. The Doctor pleaded for me to stay, to come back to the TARDIS with her." said Amy with a serious and beautiful smile "But I just couldn't go back to the TARDIS. Not when there was a chance for me to be with Rory by being sent to the past by the Weeping Angel. It was risky but I had made my choice. It was always Rory because the greatest adventure is having Rory to share my life with and grow old with."

And so I said goodbye to my best friend and daughter and chose the love of my life." said Amy firmly and strongly, as Peter's eyes shone with tears "And I miss the Doctor so much, but I don't regret my choice." 

"Were you happy?" asked Peter blinking back his tears thinking of MJ and knowing that if he was given the same choice regarding MJ, he would have done exactly the same as Amy had for Rory. 

"We lived well and were very happy." said Amy with a smile that held reminiscence and wisdom "And we will love the Doctor, always." 

"That's why she hates New York." said Peter understandingly "She doesn't like it here. I guess it reminds her of you." 

"Peter, don't let the Doctor be alone." said Amy with a smile that was pleading and lovely "She needs someone. She always needs someone to stop her. She needs someone to show her how beautiful the universe is." 

They had reached the door and it opened and Amy smiled at Peter "Go on. The Doctor is waiting for you." 

* * *

"Alright, Peter is reaching the console room any moment now and are you two ready?" asked the Doctor as she ran around the console room getting everything ready. 

"Yes. Are you sure this will work?" asked Sam who was ready and listened to the instructions of the Doctor. 

"Perhaps. Maybe. Yes. We have to hope for the best." said the Doctor as she pushed another lever and spun a cube shaped circle "I'm going to shunt the reality compensators, recalibarated the doomsday pumpers and compress the karaoke bar then yes, it will definitely help. It can do it, the TARDIS will delete the dimension with the multiform in it while we have only ten minutes to create a portal and get Peter out of there. Sam and Pretty Boy, you two know what to do and you have to do it exactly when I tell you to do it, not a moment too soon or too less. Is that understood?" 

"Is he Pretty Boy?" asked Sam with a grin as he pointed at Bucky who was blushing slightly. 

The Doctor suppressed her groan "I'm going to take that as a yes." 

"That's lovely dear, but we need to get a signal through." said River's hologram appearing all of a sudden startling Bucky and Sam and the Doctor looked alarmed but relieved "Don't worry, Peter is safe. We've told him about this internal dimension that he is trapped in but to tear through the internal dimension, you need a signal, and that signal will be a thought, something so powerful that it can rip through the dimensions. You both have to share this thought." 

"Well, that complicates things. We have to share the same thought. Does Peter know?" asked the Doctor as she looked at River puzzled and taken aback, grateful for River's presence. 

"He does. And right now he is in the TARDIS console room of the other dimension." said River with a serious and encouraging smile "Go on sweetie."

"Both of you have to share a thought. That's impossible!" exclaimed Sam incredulously and Bucky looked disbelieving as well. 

"Shut up and do as I say now!" said the Doctor concentrating on her memories while Peter Parker thought of the moment that the Doctor handed him the TARDIS key.

The Doctor closed her eyes, remembering the hope she felt as she handed the TARDIS key to Peter and she tossed her screwdriver to Bucky and she began her instructions while she concentrated on her thought, the smile on Peter's face and the tears shining in his eyes "Pretty Boy, sonic the round bit on my console. Inside you will find three levers and a jumble of wiring." 

Bucky did exactly as the Doctor said and the Doctor and Peter concentrated on their shared thought hard. 

_The silver gleaming TARDIS key._

_The feeling of finally coming home._

_The tears of joy._

_The hope in her eyes._

"That's the regulator valve. After we reroute it, we'll have ten minutes to get Peter into this dimension of the TARDIS safely away from the multiform." said the Doctor concentrating on her memory and Bucky and Sam admired how she was able to multi task wonderfully under pressure "Now you know what to do." 

"Sam, pull out the red and green receptors." said the Doctor quickly and Sam began the work "Reroute the blue into the red and the green into the blue. Leave the red loose and on no account touch anything yellow." 

Sam did what the Doctor was telling him but her quick and speedy way of speaking had him confused for a few moments and the Doctor could sense it as she shouted at him "Come on Sam! This isn't rocket science, it's quantum physics!" 

Sam pulled out the red and green receptors swiftly and rerouted the blue into the red and green into the blue just like the Doctor had instructed while the Doctor and Peter both concentrated on their shared thought. 

Peter could feel the multiform getting closer and he closed his eyes tightly, concentrating harder on his memory, that he hoped that the Doctor shared with him. 

_The box that was bigger on the inside._

_The impossible woman who wanted him to travel with her._

_Her smile, how happy and hopeful she had taken the TARDIS key out of the pocket and given it to him._

_The happiness he felt at seeing the key gleam and shimmer in the light of the TARDIS, knowing that he wasn't alone._

"Done. Blue into red. Green into blue." said Sam with a firm nod to the Doctor who was standing there with her eyes closed thinking the most important thought that she hopefully was sharing with Peter. 

"Keep thinking, sweetie." said River encouragingly to the Doctor who was lost and concentrating on her memory.

"Do not let your thought go. You're almost there." said Amy encouragingly to Peter who felt the multiform getting closer and closer. 

The Doctor and Peter felt the thought grow more powerful and the Doctor nodded as she ordered "Lever one."

_"I never know Why." said the Doctor with a kind and sweet smile, her eyes ancient and renewed as she looked at Peter and took his hand gently and placed the silver key onto his palm "I only know Who."_

Bucky pulled down the first red lever and then the Doctor said in a firm voice "Lever two!" 

_Peter was trying his hardest not to cry and he wanted to say something grateful and meaningful and all he could say was "I don't know why I'm crying."_

Bucky quickly pulled down the second blue lever immediately and the Doctor ordered "Lever three now!" 

_"I do." said the Doctor with a happy smile as he squeezed Peter's hand gently, happy tears in her eyes as she looked at the boy fondly "Remember this, remember this moment, because this is the day everything begins!"_

Bucky pulled down the third green lever and suddenly the power of the Doctor's and Peter's shared thought surged a incredible burst of energy that created a portal between the two dimensions and Peter jumped through his dimension to the real dimension, where the Doctor was waiting with her arms wide open and he wrapped his arms around her as he gasped in relief and happiness, hugging her. 

"Lever four!" ordered the Doctor who nodded at Bucky who quickly pulled down the yellow lever that deleted the dimension that Peter had been lost in along with the multiform, killing it. 

Peter was holding onto the Doctor for dear life as he buried his head onto her shoulder, taking in deep breaths glad to be alive and well, finally reunited with the Doctor. The Doctor returned the sentiment as she hugged Peter tightly and comfortingly, her hearts beating in relief and joy that Peter wasn't dead, he was here with her alive and she had managed to rescue him in time. She didn't want to think what would have happened to Peter if she hadn't managed to rescue him in time. Peter was very precious to her and she was so glad that he was safe in her arms at last. She knew it was dangerous, it was always dangerous but she had been vain and thoughtless taking Peter along with her. But here Peter was crying and laughing and breathing in her arms and she was smiling and crying too and she was taking it as a good sign. 

"Peter!" exclaimed the Doctor, holding Peter as she cradled him in her arms just like she had done in her office when he had cried about his break up "My Peter! You're safe now!"

"Doctor! Doctor! Oh my god!" exclaimed Peter as he hugged the Doctor not wanting to let her go.

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm here now." said the Doctor soothingly and comfortingly as she pressed a motherly kiss on Peter's head "Nothing can hurt you. I promise." 

"The TARDIS protected me. I saw Clara and River and Amy and they told you to run and you're loved and you shouldn't be alone." blabbered Peter in shock but feeling better at the warmth that the TARDIS was exuding and feeling the Doctor freeze for a moment "And I know who are. You have a name. I read your name. Your name is -"

But the Doctor had stopped hugging Peter, her eyes were frantic and alarmed as she looked at Peter and shushed him by placing her finger on his lips "Peter, you shouldn't have."

"I couldn't help it. You were mentioned in a lot of books. But there was one book in particular that I read. The History of the Time War." said Peter frantically and saw that the Doctor had gone pale and her eyes had widened in fright and panic "I know you have a name. Why do you call yourself the Doctor? You have a name -" 

The Doctor shushed Peter again, silencing him and she looked mad and frightened "Don't you dare mention my name if you know what's good for you. What's good for the whole universe. Forget my name." 

"I can't forget your name." said Peter shaking his head, feeling dizzy but also he wanted to know after everything he had been through "Why? Why do you call yourself the Doctor if you have a real name?" 

The Doctor was torn apart and conflicted, mad and frightened because Peter knew her name and her name was dangerous and she took a deep breath as he looked at Peter who was battered and stubborn waiting for an answer "You don't understand. My name - my real name - that's not the point! My name - the name I chose is the Doctor! The name you choose is like a promise you make to yourself. My name - my real name is a secret that I will carry to my grave and you must never tell anyone!" 

Peter listened but the words that the Doctor was speaking swirled around him as exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell into unconsciousness and before he could fall onto the floor, the Doctor caught him in her arms. 

"Peter! It's okay!" said the Doctor gently as she looked at the tired and exhausted child in her arms and carried him to the comfy sofa in the TARDIS and laid him on it. She knew that the events of today had overwhelmed the boy with tiredness and right now what Peter needed was a good night's rest and sleep. "Hey. Sleep tight. I'm going to take you home." 

As she looked at Peter who was unconscious, she closed her eyes and put her fingers on his forehead and reached into Peter's memories of his journey through the TARDIS and soon reached the part where he was in the library. The Doctor saw Peter reading the History of the Time War and she discreetly removed her name from his memory, knowing that when Peter woke up he wouldn't remember her real name at all. This was for his safety. Knowing the Doctor's real name was dangerous and it wasn't certainly a secret that Peter Parker needed to carry. Now, Peter would be safe in the ignorance of not knowing the Doctor's real name. 

"What did you do to him?" asked Sam in curiosity as he watched the lovely, touching moments between Peter and the Doctor.

"Oh, I lulled him into a good night's dreamless sleep." said the Doctor with a smile. Rule One, the Doctor always lies. 

And they believed her. 

"Okay. Fine. Now you got Peter. Cancel the countdown." said Sam glaring at the Doctor as he folded his arms.

"What countdown?" asked the Doctor, momentarily confused.

"The TARDIS Self - Destruct Protocol?" reminded Sam incredulously waving his hands in the air while Bucky looked at the Doctor. 

"Oh. Right - Blimey - Ha!" said the Doctor as she scratched her head and chuckled in a manner of a small child who pulled the funniest prank "You know for a hero you aren't very bright!" 

"What?" asked Sam and Bucky

"There is no Self - Destruct Protocol!" exclaimed the Doctor with a grin, in a way that a friend would announce a surprise birthday party "Surprise! Got you going there, didn't I boys? I just wiggled a few buttons and switches. And the face - I did the serious, dangerous mad woman face. I thought my acting was a bit rusty but it turned out to be good." 

"So you're telling us that there is no Self Destruct? That we are safe?" asked Bucky, wanting to be sure one last time. 

"Yes. Completely safe." nodded the Doctor as she pulled down the lever and put up the shields "Well apart from the Cybermen and the Weeping Angels who want to attack and burn down this world." 

"You really are mad." said Sam shaking his head at the Doctor but he felt relieved. 

"You were refusing to help me." said the Doctor smoothly with a smirk "I just convinced you with gentle persuasion. And take notes, Sam - that's how you get something done without weapons and with your brains." 

Bucky snorted in laughter and the Doctor joined in and Sam couldn't help but smile as he shook his head at the both of them.


	16. Chapter 16

For the Doctor, her work never stopped. There was never a moment to rest.

She had materialized the TARDIS outside Peter's apartment and carried him inside into his bedroom and tucked him in gently and caring. The Doctor had been reunited with her best friends, Ben and James who had been worried about her and who were filled with relief at seeing her and hugged her happily. The Doctor told them about what happened and they listened to her, seeing the tired lines under the Doctor's eyes and glad that the Doctor had saved Peter and come back to them. The Doctor had then been hugged again by James and Ben who loved her very much and who were very glad that the Doctor was alive. The Doctor felt the warmth and love of her best friends surround her and she was glad to be with them again. She persuaded her best friends to go to bed and after bantering and promising Benjamin and James that she will go to sleep too, Ben and James went to sleep in their bedrooms in the TARDIS. The Doctor had convinced Sam and Bucky to stay and sleep over in the TARDIS bedrooms because it would be safer for them and because both of them were too tired to argue they had agreed and gone to bed. The Doctor had activated the TARDIS shields and made them stronger than ever and then installed and extended the protection shields over Peter Parker's neighborhood, keeping to her promise of guarding him. 

The Doctor didn't sleep. She couldn't sleep. There was so much on her mind and so much work to be done. For starters, she needed to repair the TARDIS console that had burst loose when the multiform had attacked. She had put on her goggles and got her instrument box out and started working on repairing her Old Girl better and stronger than before. 

As she whistled a tune while repairing the console, she heard footsteps from the corridor approach her and then after a moment ask "Don't you ever sleep?" 

The Doctor looked and saw Bucky, the man with the metal arm that she thought was rather pretty and smiled at him "I can't sleep. Loads to do. Like fixing my ship."

"Are you repairing the TARDIS?" asked Bucky curiously, slowly taking one step towards the Doctor who was whacking the console with a hammer. 

"Yes." answered the Doctor with a small smile as she began whistling again, fixing the console while the TARDIS whirred and hummed. 

"So - are you really going to pretend you don't know me?" asked Bucky with a small, curious and playful smile. 

The Doctor looked at Bucky as she furrowed her eyebrows at him "I don't know you. And trust me, I never forget a face." 

"Oh dollface, stop pretending!" exclaimed Bucky with a laugh as he shook his head at her and grabbed the lapels of the Doctor's coat and kissed her fiercely and sweetly. 

The Doctor was taken aback in surprise at the kiss as she was pressed against the console with Bucky's arms wrapping gently around her waist. She squeaked in surprise as she dropped the hammer and her arms flailed in surprise at the gentleness and passion of the kiss and she found herself kissing him back for a few moments as her hands rested on his broad shoulders and then caressed his nape. As the Doctor almost got lost in the sensation of kissing Bucky, suddenly she realized that she was kissing a man that she had never met before and she pulled away from him as she stared at him breathlessly, her hearts racing fast. 

"Okay. Well. Blimey. That was nice. Interesting." stammered the Doctor as she looked at the man who had kissed her, the man whose name that she didn't even know and she quickly got out of his hold "Um - right." 

"What's wrong?" asked Bucky alarmed and disturbed at the way the Doctor was acting "You're acting like we've never done this before." 

The Doctor was taken aback in surprise as she admitted the truth "We haven't. I have never met you before."

"We haven't?" asked Bucky, his voice cracking in shock and disbelief as he stared at the Doctor who was shifting from one foot to another awkwardly "But - we've met before. How can you not remember?" 

"When did you meet me?" asked the Doctor trying to figure out how this man knew her and how she didn't know him. 

"In the 1940s." said Bucky who was now recovering and remembering slowly. And he remembered her. Oh god, he remembered her. But she didn't remember him. 

"Okay. Uh - so this is where it gets complicated." said the Doctor as a realization dawned upon her and she flapped her hands about as she began her explanation "You have met me but I still haven't met you. It's still to happen in the future." 

"I don't understand." said Bucky in confusion as he shook his head.

"Time travel. It's complicated. Your past is my future. And my future is your past." said the Doctor gently to Bucky who was frozen in shock like a deer in headlights "So the woman you met, that's my future self. And I haven't met your past self yet. It's all in my future waiting to happen." 

"So you haven't met who I was yet? So you don't have any idea about who I am?" asked Bucky feeling down hearted and heartbroken.

"No. Not yet. I'm sorry." said the Doctor truthfully, sincerity in her eyes. 

"You don't know who I am?" asked Bucky feeling tears spring up his eyes but he blinked them away. 

"No. But you can tell me your name." said the Doctor feeling horrible that Bucky was on the verge of crying. 

"Won't it - I don't know - destroy the future?" asked Bucky looking away from the Doctor. 

"No." said the Doctor with a small laugh as she shook her head and took a step closer to Bucky and asked him gently "Who are you?" 

"Bucky Barnes. James Buchanan Barnes is my full name but I go by Bucky." said Bucky, introducing himself remembering himself doing the same thing to this same woman a long, long, long time ago. 

"James Buchanan Barnes." said the Doctor reflectively as she pronounced his name and Bucky couldn't help but shiver at the way she said his name, as if she tasted and savored it "That's a lovely name. You should keep it." 

Bucky remembers again, his memories come back to him more frequently now and they are now more about this woman in front of him and as she says these words, he can't help but feel overwhelmed by nostalgia. 

"Just Bucky is fine." replies Bucky looking at his feet, wanting to look somewhere, anywhere away from the Doctor. 

"Okay, Just Bucky." said the Doctor feeling a bit awkward and not knowing what to do as she fixed up the scanners determined to run a full scan on Bucky when she got the time "Are you a friend or foe?" 

"Won't that change the future?" asked Bucky curiously as he sat on one of the comfy chairs watching the Doctor work.

"Oh the future is bloody contradictory and unpredictable, it doesn't always work in one way." said the Doctor as she attached a jumble of wires, that resulted in a burst of sparks "So do we become friends? Or enemies?" 

"Friends." replied Bucky shortly. 

"Of course, we do. You don't annoy me like the rest of them." said the Doctor jokingly making Bucky chuckle and she smiles hearing the sound of his chuckle "And we fall in love, don't we?" 

"How do you -" spluttered Bucky in surprise and shock while the Doctor worked calmly on rewiring the wires in her console. 

"You kissed me. You know me in certain ways. You trusted me the moment you met me." said the Doctor knowingly and contemplating as she looked at Bucky who was staring at her in surprise "And I see it in your eyes." 

There was silence for a while, a comfortable and surprising silence where Bucky looked at the Doctor working and the Doctor pretended to work while looking at Bucky from the corner of her eye.

"You don't know me now. A lot has changed for me." said Bucky quietly as he sighed thinking of his childhood and youth that seemed so far away, the days in Hydra where he was a Super Soldier but they brainwashed and tortured him, Steve, the Avengers, the war against Thanos that had changed everything. "You don't know me now. And I certainly don't know the woman who you are now." 

"Then tell me. What do you want to know about me?" asked the Doctor quietly as she stopped working and looked at Bucky. 

"There are so many questions I want to ask you. Who are you?" asked Bucky looking at the Doctor, trying to figure her out. 

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a time traveler. I'm an alien with two hearts." said the Doctor with a small smile as she hugged her knees and then looked at Bucky quizzically "Does that scare you?" 

"No. It's just a bit weird." said Bucky truthfully as he shrugged because honestly he had seen much more scarier things than the Doctor. 

The Doctor smiled in pleasant surprise as she looked at Bucky "Your turn. Tell me about yourself." 

"I don't know. I don't remember much of who I am. My memories, they are coming back to me now but it's still sort of fuzzy and unclear." said Bucky seriously and thoughtfully and then he looked at the Doctor "But there's one thing I know for certain and that is I keep remembering you. It's always you." 

"Were your memories taken away from you?" asked the Doctor gently, trying to phase her question kindly as possible. 

"That's a nice way of putting it." said Bucky with a laugh but there was sadness and exhaustion written all over his face "HYDRA captured me, experimented on me and made me into a super soldier. They brainwashed me continuously and gave me this metal arm and made me their operative - The Winter Soldier. I'd eliminate anyone who'd pose a threat to HYDRA under their orders." 

There was silence, a quiet and piercing silence and Bucky couldn't bear to look at the Doctor who was listening in disbelief "I don't know why I told you this. I've been trying to - I just - I'm not - I don't want to be the Winter Soldier - I just want to be Bucky. Can you understand that?" 

"I do." said the Doctor in quiet understanding as she made her way to Bucky and took his shaking hands in hers and squeezed them comfortingly "More than anyone else in the universe."

"I know you must hate me." said Bucky, not looking at the Doctor, not wanting to see her expression.

"Why would I hate you?" asked the Doctor quietly, a quietness that calmed and soothed Bucky into looking at the Doctor who was wearing a kind and understanding expression. 

"Because I'm a monster." said Bucky, his eyes shining with tears because he was remembering and he remembered every assassination.

"What you did, that wasn't you - it was HYDRA. You didn't have a choice." said the Doctor wisely as she clenched her jaw thinking of HYDRA and controlling her anger at how they had destroyed and ruined a beautiful life. 

"I know, but I did them." said Bucky insistently shaking his head and then looked at the Doctor with a small teary smile "Sorry. I didn't mean to put this all on you." 

"I'm the Doctor. I'm here to help." said the Doctor as she smiled at Bucky sunnily making him smile wider and then asked "Is that why you couldn't sleep? Nightmares?" 

"You're smart." said Bucky smartly, making the Doctor laugh a little in amusement. 

"You're not a monster, Bucky. Believe me, I've met monsters and you're nothing like them." said the Doctor seriously and gently as she held onto his hands "What HYDRA did to you is unforgivable. But they can never take away your spirit and soul, Bucky. And if something can be remembered, that means it can come back. Memories are more powerful than we give them credit for." 

Bucky was silent for a moment drowning in the kindness and wisdom offered in the words of the Doctor and then cocked his eyebrows at the Doctor "How old are you?" 

The Doctor was taken aback at the sudden question "Bit personal." 

"Because you talk like you're older than me, older than all of us." said Bucky curiously as he looked at the Doctor fondly. 

"I am older than you. I'm over nine hundred years old. Got problem with that?" asked the Doctor as she stood up and made her way to the console making Bucky laugh at how defensive she was "How old are you?" 

"About a hundred and seven, I think." said Bucky thoughtfully and then shrugged "I'm not really sure." 

"Okay." said the Doctor as she fixed the lever that was loosened and started to finish off the work, secretly thinking how good Bucky looked for someone his age.

"I'm sorry. I know that this isn't exactly how I should have introduced myself." said Bucky as he walked towards the Doctor who was pressing a few buttons 

"Don't be. I like unconventional." said the Doctor with a grin as she finished off her repairs and laughed, feeling accomplished "Yes! All done! You beauty! You're perfect now, Old Girl!" 

She smiled as the TARDIS hummed and whirred in contentment and then looked at Bucky who smiled shyly at her "Alright. Do you want to go to sleep?" 

"No. I can't sleep." said Bucky shaking his head with a sigh and then looked at the Doctor with his eyebrows raised "Why don't you sleep?" 

"Plenty to do. Not enough time to do it!" exclaimed the Doctor as she ran around the console room flipping buttons and wiggling switches and pulling down levers. The TARDIS whirred and groaned, making the noise of the brakes left on that the Doctor loved so much as it landed. 

"Right then. We've landed." said the Doctor as she looked into the scanner to see whether she was in the right place and for once she was. 

"We've landed? Do you mean to say we've moved away from Brooklyn?" asked Bucky in surprise as he watched this mad lady take her coat and quickly put it on. 

"Yes! Since we both can't sleep, I thought I might bring you on your first TARDIS trip to your first alien planet, I presume." said the Doctor in excitement as she looked at Bucky with a big smile. 

"Doctor - there is danger in New York and we can't leave like that. And what about Sam, Ben and -" began Bucky thinking about everything even though he was feeling excited. 

"It's a time machine. I can get us back to the exact moment we left. And the rest of them are sleeping and they won't wake up." said the Doctor with a smile that Bucky couldn't resist "It'll be just me and you." 

"Come on." said the Doctor with a lovely smile and Bucky gave in as he took her hand "Close your eyes." 

Bucky closed his eyes and the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and guided him gently out of the TARDIS into the alien planet that she had bought Bucky to. 

She smiled at him as she whispered "Open your eyes." 

Bucky opened his eyes to see a large glowing sun setting, the sky lit in colors of dusky purple, pure pink, gorgeous orange, brilliant red and lemon yellow swirling and dancing along with silver singing stars. His mouth fell open in shock and disbelief at the beauty in front of him as he stared at the beautiful and brilliant sky, not seeing the Doctor smile softly at him. 

"It's the sunset on the Planet of Moritarosworth." said the Doctor with a small smile as she watched Bucky take in and look at every beautiful and brilliant detail in the sky "This is not just a sunset, it's a belief of the people of this planet that sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful too." 

Bucky couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him as he looked at the wondrous beauty swirling and spinning around him and all he could say was "It's beautiful."

Then Bucky looked at the Doctor in gratitude and fondness "Thank you for bringing me here!" 

The Doctor grinned at Bucky "Oh this is just the beginning! There's loads more to do on this planet. Do you know this planet is famous for its sweets?"

"Sweets?" asked Bucky stunned as the Doctor put her arm around him and they began walking towards streets filled with shops. 

"I like sweets. Do you like sweets?" asked the Doctor with a smile and then waved with a friendly smile at a blue and black alien with a fox's tail "Do you like gummy bears? What do you want? Anything you want, this is your trip." 

"Chocolate." it was the only thing that came to Bucky's mind as he took in all the bizarre sweet shops and the strange aliens. 

"Chocolate, it is! I love chocolate!" exclaimed the Doctor as she chattered away while she led Bucky to the best chocolate shop on the planet. 

And they sat there in the sweet shop that served chocolates, Bucky eating chocolate chip cookies and chocolate eclairs and the Doctor gorging on chocolate brownies and donuts as they laughed and chattered, the dangers and threats to the Earth forgotten. They walked around the planet buying and eating sweet caramel popcorn that Bucky teasingly aimed at the Doctor who indignantly protested, ate blue and pink and golden cotton candy that melted in their mouths as they watched the sun set as they sat on a balcony of a shop, bought loads of gummy bears for the Doctor who was very fond of them, giggled as they ate their cupcakes that changed color every five seconds, crumbs falling on their faces and finally the Doctor bought them both ice cream, flavors that Bucky had never heard of but were really lovely and cold as they traipsed around the place, sightseeing and looking around. 

And after they came back to the TARDIS, Bucky couldn't stop smiling at the Doctor who was piloting the TARDIS back once again to the night where they had left. It seemed so surreal to Bucky because there was so much that had happened and he couldn't believe that it was the same night that they were back in. 

"So, what did you think?" asked the Doctor as the TARDIS wheezed and groaned but she was looking at Bucky who was smiling widely. 

"I think it's amazing! I had so much of fun." said Bucky with a grin, feeling happy and warm and then plucking up the courage he quickly kissed the Doctor's cheek "Thank you so much, Doctor!" 

And before the Doctor could say anything, Bucky left her frozen in the console room and went back to his bedroom where after a few moments of excitement and reminiscence about his trip, he fell asleep into a dreamless sleep with no nightmares to haunt him that night.


	18. Chapter 18

"Good morning Doctor." said Bucky quietly and gently with a smile as he found the Doctor in the kitchen cooking pancakes and bacon for everyone "I take it you didn't sleep."

"Love it how you say it as a fact, instead of asking me it as a question." replied the Doctor with a grin and Bucky noticed that she had changed into a blue pant suit "Don't worry, I got four hours of sleep. Not consecutively but it's fine. You're not even blurry."

"Why didn't you sleep?" asked Bucky as he smiled at the Doctor who pushed a plate of pancakes dripping in maple syrup towards him "Is it the nightmares?" 

The Doctor froze for a moment because it was the nightmares that haunted and terrorized her whenever she slept so she found it more better for her to be awake instead of closing her eyes and falling into a land filled with fears and screams and blood that she couldn't wash away and when she woke up she would be breathing hard and sweating. She found it more productive for her to be awake and be engaged in activities that took her attention and time instead of falling asleep to monstrous nightmares that she really wanted to avoid. 

But Bucky seemed to know that as if it was natural for him to know about the Doctor's nightmares. He didn't ask it as a curious question, instead he asked it as a person who was concerned about her having nightmares again. Had Bucky witnessed her nightmares? Did Bucky know she had nightmares? Had she told him about her nightmares? Her nightmares were terrifying and horrible and she never told anyone about them but Bucky seemed to know all about them. 

"No." said the Doctor, lying through her teeth with a smile because that's what she did best "I just had so much to do. Paint the TARDIS, repair the bulb on top, the usual." 

"Okay." said Bucky with a nod, realizing that she didn't want to talk about her nightmares and the Doctor knew that somehow Bucky could see through her lies and that annoyed her. 

The Doctor poured herself a nice hot cup of tea to calm herself down and think about what the next step should be. Right now, she had eight plans in her mind but she really wanted to take the best plan, the plan that wouldn't get anyone hurt. 

"MORNING!" yelled James as he sauntered through the kitchen door and poured himself a cup of tea and Ben walked through a moment later yawning widely "Lovely day, isn't it?" 

"Please. Tone down your happiness. It's eight in the morning." said Ben with a groan as he opened the kitchen cupboards and then looked at the Doctor "Doctor, I'm dying. Where is the coffee? I need coffee now." 

The Doctor laughed in amusement as she placed her hands on Ben's cheeks and pressed an affectionate kiss on his forehead "You're fine, Ben. All the coffee makers in the TARDIS must have been deleted due to the rescue yesterday but I will install them later." 

"Later? I need coffee now or I will kill all of you!" growled Ben glaring at everyone and the Doctor and James shared scared glances. 

"How about a nice, soothing, calm cup of tea until we get you your coffee, eh?" asked James sweetly while the Doctor nodded and Ben sat down at the table. 

The Doctor poured another cup of tea and served it quickly to Ben who sighed and began drinking it not seeing Bucky's amused expression and then Sam came in "Damn! This place is crazy! There's a bathroom and wardrobe in my bedroom!" 

"Didn't I tell you it's the best ship in the universe?" replied the Doctor as James took over the kitchen and served them all breakfast. 

"So this is your home?" asked Sam with a small smile as he looked at the Doctor who was sipping her tea.

"Yes." replied the Doctor with a wide and bright smile "She always takes care of me. And I take care of her." 

"So what's the plan?" asked James as he began to eat while Ben leaned onto his shoulder "We know that John wants to kill you and the Cybermen and Weeping Angels are going to destroy this planet. Do you have a plan?" 

"Um - no." replied the Doctor as she ran her hand through her hair. 

"If you don't have a plan, we're dead." said Ben sharply, glaring at the Doctor. 

"Well, I do have a plan. At the moment, I have to point out it's a horrible plan." said the Doctor with a sigh as she took a bite of a pancake "We wait." 

"What do you mean we wait?" asked Sam taken aback by the ridiculousness of the plan proposed by the woman who possessed a spaceship that was bigger on the inside and was currently shoveling pancakes inside her mouth. 

"Well - John, if that's even his real name - he wants me. Not you. And if he is doing this, he isn't doing this alone. And we need to get more information. Like where the signal is broadcasting to." said the Doctor in contemplation and deep in thought "This isn't just about burning the earth - this is about burning me. There's something deeper at work here and I intend to find out what." 

"Well, you didn't save him." said Sam quietly and everyone looked at Sam sharply "You were his hero and you let him down." 

"I seem to have a habit of doing that." said the Doctor miserably and thoughtfully and Ben stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. The Doctor sighed as she shook her head "Saving people. I can't always do that. It's not what I always do." 

"Doctor, you know that it's not your fault that his planet burnt down. You can't always save everyone." said Ben comfortingly and truthfully as he looked at the Doctor. 

"I know. But he's the last of his kind, just like me. And I know how it sits in a heart." said the Doctor feeling her head thud in pain as she remembered the research that she had done last night on Gloriacurum. John's words were true. It was a beautiful planet with shimmering fields and glittering waterfalls and cities that were filled with large crowds that celebrated with songs and drinks. And so many of their songs, paintings, and books were dedicated to the Doctor's heroics and bravery, sometimes exaggerated. There were volumes and volumes of her acts of heroism of books in their libraries and she had taken the liberty of reading some of it and she couldn't blame John for worshiping her as a hero. She truly was a legend and a hero, a savior and a god in their eyes.

Even though she really wasn't.

She really was a mad Doctor in a blue box traveling through the universe with a screwdriver helping out to fix things. 

That was who she really was. 

And then the Master had arrived. The betrayals and burning and bloodshed and screaming had begun. They had built shrines for the Doctor and prayed for the Doctor to rescue them but she had not heard their heartfelt pleas and longing cries. The Master's cruelty extended in many horrible and creative ways as he attacked and tortured and burned everyone while the Doctor was not even aware of this planet crumbling and falling at her oldest friend's mercy. 

Their faith in the Doctor began to crumble as they realized something that their lives depended on. 

The Doctor was not a God. 

The Doctor was not a Savior.

The Doctor was not a Hero. 

The Doctor was not a Legend. 

The Doctor was really just a mad idiot in a blue box that was bigger on the inside. 

But it was too late. 

The Doctor had searched how many had died and now the weight of the amount of people .... mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children weighed heavily and painfully on her conscience. 

_"Tell me, Doctor. Can your conscience carry the weight and blood of all these dead races?" asked John mockingly and quietly as he watched the Doctor close her eyes and breathe deeply._

"Doctor?" James concerned voice bought her back to reality from the thoughts of a living, breathing planet screaming and dying, with faith in her. 

"I'm fine. Sorry. Thinking too much." said the Doctor, shaking her thoughts away, the guilt and shame that ate through her "We need to go." 

"Go where?" asked Ben incredulously and very concerned about the Doctor's mental state. 

"To work. Where do you think I was talking about? Did you both forget that we all have jobs?" asked the Doctor as she walked out of the kitchen with purpose in her step.

"Work? Aliens are about to burn this planet and you want to go to work?" asked Sam raising his eyebrows at her. 

"Yes. Because if we don't show up to work, it'll look shady." said the Doctor as she jumped into the console room, her eyes shining like a child "We can't suddenly disappear." 

"But - what if John's there?" asked James as he followed the Doctor around the console room.

"Don't worry. He won't attack us in front of everyone. He's a psychopath but he's not stupid." replied the Doctor sassily as she pushed down a lever and then patted James on the back. 

"Well, that's comforting." replied James rolling his eyes at the Doctor. 

The TARDIS doors opened and Peter came in, his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at all of them "You're still here!" 

"Of course I'm still here." said the Doctor with a grin as she pushed down another lever and then wiggled a few buttons "Got a problem with that?" 

"What are you doing here?" asked Peter in surprise as he made his way towards the Doctor who was busy operating the TARDIS "I thought you had - I don't know - flown off to time and space leaving us behind."

The Doctor who was pulling continuously at a lever that was very springy looked at Peter curiously and concerned "Why would I do that?" 

"Well, Earth is in danger. It's not your home." said Peter clutching onto his backpack and the Doctor felt that Peter was being defensive against her. "It's not important to you." 

"Not important? Billions of people live here! You live here! Ben and James live here! Bucky and Sam live here!" exclaimed the Doctor seriously, her eyes wise and solemn "It's filled with people full of potential to live and laugh and create and love. And it might not be where I was born but it's been my greatest privilege to be loved by extraordinary and beautiful human beings on Earth. And I will defend them until my last breath." 

Ben and James grinned knowingly at the Doctor as they nodded at their best friend, Sam was taken aback by surprise but he was touched and in that moment he took a decision to trust this strange and ridiculous woman. Bucky smiled sweetly and gently, seeing the woman he had loved a long time ago in the Doctor. Peter smiled and nodded at the Doctor knowing that she was still there for him and that she was still his mentor and friend. 

The Doctor grinned at Peter and then Peter asked "What's the plan, Doctor?" 

"Well, you're going to the lectures. Ben, James and I are going to work so as to not arouse suspicion. And no one on no account is going to investigate that basement without me." said the Doctor firmly looking at everyone and they could all tell that she was not messing around. 

"And we're going to guard you." said Sam firmly. 

"And - wait what?" asked the Doctor taken aback by Sam's statement as she looked at Sam and Bucky who looked firm and were nodding their heads. 

"We're going to guard you. If John wants to kill you, we can't let that happen." said Bucky in a serious voice as he looked at the Doctor "We're coming with you." 

"I assure you, I don't need your protection. I am more than capable of handling whatever John throws at me." said the Doctor with an amused smirk as she tossed her sonic screwdriver and then pulled the lever. 

"I believe you are but we can't take any risks. Doctor, we're a team. We have to work together." said Bucky firmly, in a no nonsense voice that was not to be argued with.

"He's right, Doctor. I mean, we would be so much more relaxed if Sam and Bucky went along with you." said Ben pleadingly, a voice that had concern and love for her. 

Doctor felt frustrated by how Ben got to her and she shook her head "Alright fine! But what do you propose? They can't just blend in!"

"They can pretend to be students of the class." said Peter with a happy grin that led to no good. "Bucky can pretend to be your boyfriend and Sam can be the new student." 

"My boyfriend?" exclaimed the Doctor while Ben and James burst into laughter and Bucky glared at Peter. 

"I like Peter's idea. Boyfriend coming to visit from another country, sitting in on the lecture. Plausible." joined in James with an evil twinkle in his eyes missing Bucky's glare and grinning at the Doctor who was fuming "Sam can be a new student. In that way, both of you can keep an eye on the Doctor." 

"No! No! We are not doing that!" said the Doctor flapping her hands around and then put her hands on her hips "Is anyone listening to me? Do I just have a face that no one listens to?" 

"How do you propose we blend in genius?" asked Sam looking curiously at Peter who handed them watches. 

"Put those watches around your wrists and activate them. Now you look normal to Ben, James, Doctor and me but to the rest of the world you look different. Sam, you look like a nerdy student who studies too much and never gets invited to parties and Bucky you look like the handsome smart Professor who the Doctor is dating." said Peter pleased with his own invention "It's invented to show whatever we want the rest of the world to see us as and it's the perfect disguise." 

"Wonderful!" said the Doctor amazed at Peter's invention as she sonicked it and studied it "So it shows what we want the other human brains to see. Brilliant! Fantastic! Is this your project design?" 

"Oh no." said Peter happy at the Doctor's praise and smiling at the Doctor "This is just something I invented when I was bored." 

"Blimey. I knew there was a reason I tutored you, Parker Peter." said the Doctor with a brilliant smile as she ruffled his hair and finally pushed the lever and pushed some buttons as the TARDIS wheezed and groaned "We've landed near NYU. Now act normal. Like you don't know that there is a great threat to this world." 

"How hard can it be?" asked Sam as he rolled his eyes at the Doctor and the Doctor who was rummaging through her large chest threw Sam a dusty backpack filled with books "What's this?" 

"All the books you need for my class." said the Doctor with a smile at Sam. "Do not be late. I'm very particular about time. Peter, go with Sam." 

"See you at class, Professor." said Peter with a grin as he saluted the Doctor and walked out of the TARDIS with a grumbling Sam. 

"You two - out of the TARDIS! You're both running late!" replied the Doctor as he hugged Ben and James affectionately "Don't get into any trouble and don't do anything stupid!" 

"Shouldn't we be telling you that?" replied Ben as he kissed her on the cheek with a laugh "See you around, Doctor." 

"Have a good day." said James with a smile as he fist bumped with the Doctor and she nodded at him "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do." 

James and Ben walked out of the TARDIS and the Doctor got ready as she took a few books that she wanted to read to her class while Bucky watched and finally said "So - you're my girlfriend." 

"Yes. I am a bit rusty in the areas but I will glance at a manual." replied the Doctor jokingly making Bucky laugh and she smiled "I'm not really your girlfriend and you're not really my boyfriend. This all just undercover." 

"Of course." said Bucky feeling hurt as he looked at the woman he had fallen in love with and sighed "Shall I take your books?" 

"Thank you but I have a bigger on the inside briefcase that should contain it." said the Doctor as she shut her briefcase and then opened the TARDIS doors and started walking into the campus grounds followed by Bucky.

"Doctor! Wait up!" said Bucky as he ran after her and she stopped to look at him "So - I think rule on of being fake lovers is walking together hand in hand so that people will believe that we're together." 

"Oh." said the Doctor taken aback as she looked at Bucky who was smiling slightly at her and she took his offered arm "Alright then. I told you I'm bit rusty." 

"It's alright. I'm not very good either." said Bucky softly as he looked over at the Doctor, the sunlight bathing her and her hair loose in the breeze.

"But you must have had someone special in your life. Hundred and seven years." said the Doctor quietly and shyly, looking at Bucky from the corner of her eye. 

"Well, there was once a girl. She was incredible. Very intelligent, kind, funny and had the most ridiculous imagination. She was different to everyone else" said Bucky after a moment as he bit his lip while the Doctor listened intently. 

"What happened?" asked the Doctor looking at Bucky curiously. 

"She - she keeps pushing me away. She doesn't trust me yet. She doesn't know me because she hasn't met me yet." said Bucky swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat as he looked away from the Doctor. 

There was a long silence because they both knew who he was talking about and then the Doctor finally said "She sounds awful. You shouldn't waste your time on someone who breaks your heart." 

"I rather let her break my heart than be with someone who I don't love." said Bucky with a small and honest smile as he looked at the Doctor who was looking away, wearing a thoughtful expression. 

"You must have loved her greatly." said the Doctor wanting to kick something because she was feeling too much, this man was making her feel too much and it was way too early in the morning.

Bucky nodded with a smile "But I'm confused. There were so many things I loved about the woman who I met. Now I don't know - what was real, what was a lie? Did she even care about me? Was she playing a game?" 

"I don't know. Only time will tell. It always does." said the Doctor quietly as she gripped on tightly to her briefcase. "Did I stay more than a week with you?" 

"Excuse me?" asked Bucky taken aback at the question. 

"Don't tell me specifically how many days I stayed with you. Just tell me. Did I stay more than a week with you?" asked the Doctor quietly with a small smile as she looked at Bucky who was looking at her in surprise. 

"Yes." answered Bucky nodding in certainty. 

"Then, it was real." said the Doctor with a grin as she held on tightly to Bucky's arm "I never stay anywhere for more than a week. I just get in my blue box and fly away. So if I stayed with you for more than a week, then you must have been pretty special." 

The corners of Bucky's mouth twitched and burst into a sweet and happy smile that the Doctor pretended not to notice but she was smiling too.


	19. Chapter 19

Sam and Bucky sit behind in the class as the Doctor teaches the flood of students that attends her lectures. Some of them don't even do science and are majoring in art and literature but they just come to sit there and listen to the Doctor speak. And the Doctor, if she had noticed this - which she had, she doesn't mind. She keeps on teaching the class about the beauty of the universe and how there is so much to this world than people can see and discusses new and foreign concepts of science and technology with the students, interacting and talking to them and listening to their ideas as well. She looks over their progressing project designs and comments and criticizes with brilliant intelligence and wit and surprisingly most students aren't offended, they take her comments and try to improve themselves. When the Doctor spoke everyone listened deeply and she spoke with such eloquence and brilliance that she commanded and captured the attention of everyone in the room. It was clear to Sam and Bucky that almost everyone wanted to impress the Doctor by raising their hands up to answer her questions, designing inventions that were unorthodox and incredible and cracking jokes that made the Doctor laugh. 

The Doctor was the personification of the cool and brilliant teacher. 

"Boy, if I had lecturers like her in university I would have been more interested." said Sam with a grin as he looked over at the Doctor who was examining a student's project design that was currently melting into lava and she was trying to extinguish it with a fire extinguisher. 

"She is very good at what she does. She is captivating. No wonder the students love her." replied Bucky as he laughed at how the Doctor was covering herself with a handkerchief to avoid coughing at the smoke emanating from the burnt project design. 

"Yeah. It's like she excretes some weird alien gas that makes people love her. Like she has some magic spell that charms people to trust her." replied Sam as he flicked through the book of quantum physics that the Doctor had given him. 

"Alright class! It's - oh good lord! Harry, why are you drinking red bull with coffee?" asked the Doctor incredulously as she looked at the boy in front of her. 

"Because I'm sleep deprived, Doctor." grumbled Harry as he finished drinking red bull with coffee in one gulp to the amazement and admiration of the Doctor who secretly wanted to try it out. "Also, it's for science."

"Well, if it's for science." began the Doctor shaking her head at these teenagers as she rolled her eyes and then observed dryly "Caffeine found in both coffee and Red Bull, in fact, causes effects in the central nervous system, stimulating concentration, decreasing the sense of fatigue and increasing attention."

"That was so cool. How do you know that?" asked another girl with wide eyes while the rest of the class was writing this down. 

"I'm the Doctor. It's my job to know it." said the Doctor smartly making Bucky grin and Peter chuckle in amusement because it was never a boring day in class with the Doctor "Now, come on! I've marked your essays and I will be handing them out now. I'm pleased to say that most of you have done well and made significant progress and the rest of you could put in a lot more effort and creativity into your work." 

"How does she have time to mark papers with aliens attacking us?" asked Sam raising his eyebrows at the Doctor who was walking throughout the class, handing out the essays along with smart remarks. 

"She has a time machine, Sam." said Bucky with a small smile "She has all the time in the world." 

"Parvati, I like what you're trying to do with the essay but you have repeated the same idea over and over again in three pages." said the Doctor giving Parvati her essay "Just tell me what you think instead of running around in circles." 

"Harry. Your grammar is outstandingly horrible but your concepts are good." said the Doctor as she handed over the essay to Harry who took it with a grin "I couldn't really read it. It was painful for me to read it because of your bad grammar." 

"And you, Miss Talia, doodling is not an essay. Though I must say you do have a very good hand for drawing." said the Doctor smartly and praising as she handed over the essay to another girl. 

"Dennis, very good effort on the calculations of rocket acceleration." said the Doctor with a proud smile as she handed over the essay to a boy with freckles who smiled proudly at the praise given to him by the Professor. 

"Parker Peter, interesting angle on investigating rocket motion. It was clever and brilliant." said the Doctor as she smiled at Peter who grinned brightly as he took his essay from her. "Keep up the good work." 

The Doctor went on and after she had finished handing out the essays, she gave a new topic for all of them to research on and dismissed the class immediately. The students left the class but not before they had a few words with the Doctor about their grades, asking her for advice and even laughing and joking with her. The class soon emptied out and finally the Doctor was left with Peter, Bucky and Sam. 

"The class was awesome!" exclaimed Peter as he walked towards the Doctor who was packing her books and papers into the briefcase. 

"Thank you." said the Doctor with a smile, that was slightly tired "It wasn't that bad."

"You weren't that bad." said Sam with a small nod. 

"I'll take that as a compliment." said the Doctor with a laugh as she made her way out of the class, talking with Peter, Bucky and Sam.

* * *

"Doctor, can I talk to you about something?" asked Peter quietly as the Doctor sat with Bucky, Peter and Sam on a bench waiting for Ben and James. 

"Yes." said the Doctor nodding her head as she observed the campus. 

"Yesterday in the library - the book I read and the home video with you and the Master - you had different faces, different lives." began Peter curiously, needing to ask the questions that had been bothering him since last night "And yet through all those different lives, you were the Doctor. You were you. How is that possible?" 

"Don't be stupid, kid. You can't have different faces." said Sam rolling his eyes at Peter but looking curiously at the Doctor.

"And people say time travel is impossible but we entered a time machine yesterday. It's like - are you immortal, Doctor?" asked Peter in fascination, his mind bursting with curiosity wanting answers.

"No. I'm a Time Lord." said the Doctor after a moment of silence, thinking about all the lives that she had lived "And Time Lords have this funny little trick of avoiding death. It's called regeneration."

"Regeneration? Does that mean starting all over again?" asked Bucky as he looked at the Doctor wide eyed. 

"Yes, it does. It means when I die, a new man or woman, completely different in appearance and personality goes sauntering around and whizzing around the universe." said the Doctor with a small sigh and reminiscent smile at all her regenerations "I won't be there but the Doctor will." 

"I don't understand." said Bucky quietly as he looked at the Doctor shaking his head "You'll still be the Doctor but you'll be a completely different person with the same memories and the TARDIS. So you don't die?" 

"No. But it feels like dying." said the Doctor with a smile that made Bucky sad, giving him the sudden urge to hug her.

"Is it painful?" asked Sam and the Doctor laughed in amusement. 

"Yes. It's intensely painful. Imagine all of you, who you are, your body and mind being rewritten." said the Doctor with a sigh as she thought about the man in the leather jacket who was absolutely fantastic, the man in the trench coat who didn't want to go, the man in the bowtie who bowed down triumphantly and greeted death as an old friend, and the man who let one more lifetime kill him. "It's not pleasant." 

"Is that how you've lived for so long?" asked Peter, his jaw dropped in amazement at all these miraculous and impossible things he was learning from the Doctor. 

"Yes. I can survive for centuries in one incarnation alone and since my life is dangerous with the regenerations I have survived for so much longer than I should have." said the Doctor, her eyes ancient and thoughtful and then sighed with a smile and answered the question before Peter could ask it "However it doesn't mean I can avoid death forever. Everyone has a time to live and a time to die. And one day, I will die and finally rest in peace." 

"No. That's not true." said Peter shaking his head not wanting to think about his teacher and friend been gone "You're not going to die." 

"I've lived too long. Can't I have peace?" asked the Doctor with a smile that made Peter's heart break. 

There was absolute silence at her words because it was not the words of a young and cheerful woman they seem to see but an ancient and exhausted creature that had lived too long and had seen too much. They didn't understand what it felt to live so many lives but the way she talked made them feel like she had lost so much and saved so many lives and loved too much, too much that she had so many memories and fears and burdens that she couldn't keep carrying any longer. It was evident that she wanted to rest and have peace and Bucky knew that feeling all too well. 

"You can. Once you finish tutoring me." said Peter smartly after a long moments of silence. 

The Doctor barked with laughter as she nodded "Deal. And don't worry, I have no plan of regenerating right now. I'm happy where I am now." 

"Good." said Bucky with a relieved smile and the Doctor smiled at him in surprise. 

The Doctor noticed that the students were giggling and looking at her "Peter. Have I done something strange because I feel like everyone is staring and laughing at me?" 

"Um - Doctor. You have a boyfriend." said Peter glaring at a boy who was laughing at the Doctor "That news spread like wildfire all over the campus today." 

"I do? Who?" asked the Doctor in confusion.

"Bucky." said Sam rolling his eyes at what a dumb genius the Doctor was. 

"Oh. But he's my fake boyfriend. And why would they laugh anyway?" asked the Doctor as she waved at friendly way at a student who smiled at her. 

Before anyone could say anything, Peter exclaimed nudging the Doctor "Oh, heads up Doctor! It's the Dean!" 

Peter quickly ran away dragging Sam fearing that if the Dean saw him again, he might get the urge to expel him. The Dean marched up towards the Doctor stood up and smiled at her "Good morning, Doctor." 

"Good morning." greeted the Doctor with a bright and friendly smile "What a beautiful day! How are you today?" 

"Oh I am good. Paperwork is stressful and the students are chaotic as ever but there is hope." said the Dean with a steady and firm smile as he nodded at the Doctor and then saw a very handsome man standing next to her. "Doctor, are you going to introduce me to your friend here?" 

The Doctor who was busy looking for Peter and Sam, snapped out of it and smiled graciously "Oh yes. How rude of me. Allow me to introduce my - um - well -" 

"Fiance." completed Bucky with a charming smile, seeing the Doctor flap her arms around and searching for words "I'm Ja-"

"Jacob. Jacob Williams." said the Doctor completing Bucky's sentence with a brilliant smile, not wanting Bucky to reveal his real name and then felt him take her hand in hers "My fiance."

"Oh how wonderful! Congratulations Doctor!" said the Dean overjoyed at the news as he began shaking her hand enthusiastically while Bucky and the Doctor smiled brightly "How long have you two been engaged?" 

"Um - just last night. He surprised me by coming over from London and proposed to me over dinner because New York is where we first met." said the Doctor, her brain finding some romantic scenario that would make these human being melt "It was unforgettable." 

"I would have done more but I didn't know if she was going to say yes!" said Bucky with a laugh as he put his arm around the Doctor who laughed along with him and the Dean. 

"Oh, I love how nervous you were, you silly idiot." said the Doctor rolling her eyes at Bucky fondly and he smiled at her. 

"Oh, you two are just the sweetest couple ever!" said the Dean who believed their make believe romantic fairy tale "Well, that explains why you didn't want to go out with John, Doctor. But as happy as I am for you, thank goodness John is not here to witness your happiness. It would break the boy's heart." 

The Doctor who was leaning onto Bucky and holding onto Bucky's hand that he had put around her raised her eyebrows in questioning "What do you mean, John is not around?" 

"Well, he resigned his post as a lecturer today. It was very sudden and no proper explanation but it's the last we've seen of him." said the Dean with a small smile as he answered the Doctor's questions, not seeing the grave expressions on both Bucky's and the Doctor's faces.

"Did he say where he was going?" asked the Doctor curiously because it was so strange for John to just quit and leave everything when he had a plan up his sleeve in New York. 

"Something about Iowa." said the Dean with a sigh and then smiled at the couple "Congratulations! I hope you two will be very happy!" 

"Thank you." replied the Doctor and Bucky together and then looked at each other. 

"Why would John leave everything?" asked Bucky in concern and curiosity "He wants to kill you and he has everything set in New York so why would he leave?" 

"I don't know. And I don't like not knowing." said the Doctor feeling suspicious and then slapped her forehead several times "Think? Why would he run away?" 

"Because you caught him?" asked Bucky, supplying ideas trying to be helpful.

"No. He wanted me to catch him. He wanted me to that he was going to burn the hearts out of me." said the Doctor, shaking her head as she furrowed her eyebrows "This is different." 

"Hey guys!" greeted Ben cheerfully, followed by James who interrupted the discussion between Bucky and the Doctor and then both of them grinned at the Doctor and Bucky "Congratulations Doctor! I always knew you would settle down! I just had no idea it would be this soon." 

"Why are you two late? Where have you been?" began the Doctor impatiently and frustratedly and then raised her eyebrows in puzzlement at her best friends "What on earth are you talking about?" 

"Oh, Doctor. Don't play coy." began James in the tone of a pompous man who knew it all, that irritated the Doctor "It's fine. Just let us know the date so we can clear our calendars. Hang on, do we need that? We do have a time machine after all." 

Peter and Sam joined them and the Doctor who glared at smirking James looked at Peter and Sam "Peter! Sam! What are they talking about?" 

"So are you having the honeymoon?" asked Ben teasingly, while James laughed, Peter and Sam snorted with laughter, Bucky blushed and Doctor became increasingly confused.

"Why would I go to the honeymoon? It's a moon made of honey, it's slightly carnivorous but it does have some lovely views." said the Doctor who was glaring at her laughing friends "Why are you all laughing?" 

"Doctor, I always knew you were quite the flirt but this is a new record even for you. I mean - met Bucky yesterday, he's your boyfriend today and a few hours in, you're engaged to him!" explained Ben with a laugh as she saw the Doctor begin to blush and stammer and look at Bucky who was also blushing. 

"I am not - that was a cover! We are not engaged! Stop laughing!" ordered the Doctor feeling hot and bothered all of a sudden as she saw Bucky smirk at her. 

"Can I be the best man at your wedding?" asked James with a grin that infuriated the Doctor. 

"No. There's no wedding, there's no engagement and there's no - oh that's interesting." said the Doctor who was yelling at her friends but then a person caught her eye and then she snapped her fingers at him "OI YOU! What's your name?" 

"Devin." 

"Hello Devin. I'm the Doctor." said the Doctor with a charming smile that could melt frozen hearts and everyone could literally see Devin melt into a puddle "I'm sure I've seen you before, I would never forget a face like yours. Are you the Dean's secretary?" 

"Yes, I am. I'm surprised you remember." said Devin shyly, blushing and Bucky rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

The Doctor smiled brilliantly, brighter than the sun "Oh Devin, I would never forget you. The Dean speaks very highly of you." 

"He does?" asked Devin in confusion "He's not very nice to me." 

"Oh that's a pity." said the Doctor truly sympathetic, her eyes full of understanding and concern and then accidentally tripped onto Devin who caught her and she laughed nervously "Oh dear! I'm so sorry. I'm very clumsy."

"Absolutely no problem at all." said Devin his arms still around the Doctor to the displeasure of Bucky who was glaring at Devin who was staring starry eyed at the Doctor who was smiling kindly at him. 

"I'm here to actually surprise the Dean. We're old friends. Is he in?" asked the Doctor with a charming and inquisitive smile as she slowly left Devin's arms. 

"No. He just left to attend a conference. I'm sorry you missed him." said Devin with a smile and the Doctor nodded. 

"Oh it's fine. I'm in town all week and really I have all the time in the world." said the Doctor with a laugh making Devin laugh "Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you Devin. I hope I'll see you around again." 

"Hopefully, Doctor." said Devin shyly as he smiled at the Doctor who nodded chivalrously.

"Great. Goodbye. What a day bleeding into nightfall eh?" asked the Doctor with a grin as she smiled at Devin and then looked at Ben and James who knew what she was insinuating immediately. 

James collapsed immediately onto the floor as he clutched his heart and started breathing quickly and Ben knelt by him as he took his husband's hand in his as he screamed with tears in his eyes "Oh my god! My husband is having a heart attack! Someone call an ambulance!"

"I hate this, I hate this, I hate this." mumbled James as he groaned acting out a heart attack patient "Why am I always the victim?" 

"Shut up and create a distraction." muttered Ben sharply with tears in his eyes as he clutched James face "Don't leave me honey! Stay with me!" 

The Doctor had slipped out easily at the commotion that Ben and James had caused but she was followed by Bucky, Peter and Sam. 

"What are you doing? Your friend is having a heart attack!" exclaimed Sam as he caught up with the Doctor who was walking quickly and easily. 

"Oh please. He is faking a medical emergency and so that Devin and the rest of the campus will be distracted for a while." replied the Doctor easily, her lips twitching in amusement at how funny the acting abilities of her best friends were "So I can break into the Dean's office and search for John's file." 

"What?" asked Peter looking at the Doctor as his jaw dropped "Are you absolutely mad? You can't just break in." 

"No. Well, I'm not breaking in. I'm inviting myself in." said the Doctor with a casual shrug as she waved the key card of Devin at their faces. 

"How did you get that?" asked Bucky looking at the woman who he admired but the same time was exasperated at her chaotic madness. 

_"Oh that's a pity." said the Doctor truly sympathetic, her eyes full of understanding and concern and then accidentally tripped onto Devin who caught her and she laughed nervously "Oh dear! I'm so sorry. I'm very clumsy."_

"You tripped onto him accidentally so you could pickpocket him?" asked Bucky his eyes wide in admiration and exasperation, feeling a little bit annoyed at the fact that he had been jealous of how the Doctor was flirting with Devin "That's why you were flirting with him?" 

"Yes." answered the Doctor easily, oblivious to Bucky's jealousy. "How else was I supposed to get his key card?" 

"Don't be surprised. She purposely fell down three flights of stairs to turn down a date with John." said Peter who was getting used to the Doctor's madness and smiling in amusement "Doctor, I'm not helping you break in to the Dean's office." 

"No. Of course not. You two - Sam and Peter, go and find out where John lived. Talk to the neighbors. Talk to the building owners. See if you can find a paper trail, anything useful that we can make sense of him." said the Doctor with a nod to Peter and Sam "Can you do that?" 

"Hell yeah!" said Sam enthusiastically finally glad to do something and nodded at Peter "Come along Peter." 

"See you soon, Doctor." said Peter with a grin and the Doctor gave him a thumbs up.

The Doctor walked into the Dean's office along with Bucky who followed her silently and the Doctor took out her sonic screw driver and unlocked the doors and switched off the CCTV cameras buying them more time, making sure that they were not caught. 

Bucky broke the silence as the Doctor unlocked the Dean's office with the key card she stole "So - you like Devin." 

"I've never met him before but he seems like a nice boy. I've seen him before working with the Dean, so I assumed he had access to the Dean's office." said the Doctor naturally as she began to open up drawers and search through files "I just needed his key card so I flirted with him." 

"So - that was all? You didn't - I don't know - you weren't really into him?" asked Bucky curiously, trying to be oblivious. 

The Doctor rolled her eyes at Bucky who was not been oblivious at all and hissed "Really? Is this the time? You want to know whether I have a crush on him when there is an alien out there who wants to kill me and this whole planet?" 

Bucky raised his hands in surrender and kept a look out but still looked at the Doctor from the corner of his eye and the Doctor could sense it "For the record, I find it easy to distract people with charm and get what I need rather than point a gun at them and ask them to give me what I want." 

"You are a very good actress." said Bucky his lips quirking in amusement as he looked at the Doctor. 

"Thank you. Julie Andrews often told me that I was very talented actress. I could take you to meet her." said the Doctor rummaging through the drawers and finding John's file and crowed with triumph. "Ha! I got you now!" 

"What did you find?" asked Bucky curiously.

"The usual. His attendance records. The things he taught. His qualifications most likely forged. Single man. No family. Born in Iowa." said the Doctor flipping through the pages and shook her head "That's a lie. He was born on another planet." 

"Iowa is where the Dean said he was heading." said Bucky, his ears picking up on the city and looked at the Doctor "We should follow him! Catch him there!" 

"No. Something isn't right. It's too easy." said the Doctor looking at the file and then at Bucky with unease "Everything is given to us. Every single detail is fed to us. Doesn't that bother you?" 

"Be that as it may, it's the only lead we have. We have to get to John before he can do anymore damage." said Bucky insistently and the Doctor nodded her head, knowing that he was right.

"You're right." said the Doctor as she walked out of the office confidently like she belonged there with Bucky "But I just have the most horrible feeling that John won't be very welcoming."

"Whatever happens Doctor, I won't leave you." said Bucky honestly as he looked into the Doctor's eyes. "We're in this together."

The Doctor was taken aback in surprise at his sincerity and honesty and smiled at him "Together." 


	20. Chapter 20

"Okay, I'm never doing that again." complained James for the hundredth time as he sat in the TARDIS glaring at the Doctor who was smirking in amusement. 

"You said that last time when we had to distract the hospital staff for the Doctor to slip into the surgical suite." said Ben with a grin as he stood by the Doctor who was trying very hard to suppress her squeals of laughter.

"Why am I always the victim in a medical emergency?" grumbled James as he sipped on his third soda can "Why can't you or the Doctor fake a medical emergency?" 

"Well, the Doctor can't because she's an alien and if they take her to a hospital, she'll be dissected and experimented on." said Ben with a glare to James who nodded understandingly while the Doctor's lips twitched into a small smile at how these two human beings were so concerned over her "And I can't because I'm not a good actor." 

"You were literally sobbing and screaming your heart out, pleading me not to die!" exclaimed James in disbelief as he shook his head at Ben and began to imitate Ben in a high pitched voice "Oh James! Please don't die on me, my darling! Somebody get a Doctor! I think he's having a heart attack! Oh, don't close your eyes, just look at me!" 

"Well, I did give a convincing performance as the distraught broken hearted husband." said Ben with a pleased smile while the Doctor laughed in amusement "I should really quit my job and go on Broadway. After that performance, I'm definitely sure that I belong on stage!" 

"Yeah. You're amazing. I believed your performance and it takes a lot to convince me." said the Doctor in amusement, supportive of Ben and happy that James was getting more and more irritated. 

"Yeah, my husband and a idiotic alien having a laugh making fun of me." said James in an injured tone as he pouted "You save lives and civilizations but you have no sympathy for me."

"That's because you annoy me." replied the Doctor cleverly with a grin "So anyone fancy a trip to Iowa?" 

"Iowa?" asked James rolling his eyes at the Doctor "What's so special about Iowa?" 

"Oh lots of great tourist attractions and wonderful things in Iowa!" said the Doctor enthusiastically as she danced around the TARDIS to Taylor Swift's latest album "National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, State Capitol, Maquoketa Caves State Park, the Bridges of Madison County, Grotto of the Redemption. It's also very famous for agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing services, information and communication technology. Do you know that Iowa is 92% farmland? Great place if you want to settle down and be a farmer! And that is probably why it's considered the safest U.S. state to live unlike nasty New York where crime reigns supreme. Lovely place if you two want to someday settle down and have a family."

"Great. Thanks for the introduction, Wikipedia." said James dryly, rolling his eyes at the Doctor "Now why are we supposed to be excited about some farmland and agriculture whatever city?" 

"Because John quit is job today and said he was heading here. And if my calculations are right, he should have arrived here by now and we've landed in the sweet land of Iowa!" announced the Doctor loudly as she clapped her hands together "Let's go find ourselves a psychopathic alien eh?" 

"Doctor! This John wants to kill you!" hissed Ben as he clutched onto the Doctor's sleeve "If he sees you -" 

"It's okay. I'm prepared. I have my screwdriver, this briefcase, my overconfidence and you two." said the Doctor comfortingly as he looked at James and Ben who looked worried "And it's not like I'm going to confront him. Well - maybe I'll confront him a little. I just want to search him out. If worse goes to deadly, you two fake a couples fight and get out of here." 

"Great." said James as he and Ben followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS "We've got no watertight plan and we are chasing a dangerous alien. Just another normal day for us in the TARDIS." 

The Doctor had taken out his alien detector from her briefcase and handed it to James who carried it while the Doctor sonicked her alien detector, making sure the modifications she had made earlier were working. It was detecting a strong alien presence and the Doctor grinned as she followed to the location where the detector was leading them. 

"Why on earth are there so many pigs and chickens in this place?" asked James who was dodging pigs who were nudging up against his legs and chickens who were trying to peck him along with Ben who was doing the same. 

"Oh. Fun fact: In Iowa, there are more hogs than humans. While the human population is around three million, the hog population is 21.2 million! This means that for every one human, there are four hogs. Isn't that incredible!" exclaimed the Doctor who was not bothered by the hogs trotting and chickens clucking around her "And well, about the chickens, let me explain that one to you. There are around sixty seven million chickens living in Iowa. So there are more chickens living in Iowa than there are people living in California and Texas which are the two most populous states in the US of A! And to bring that into perspective -"

"How does she know so much about Iowa?" mumbled James looking absolutely exasperated as he dodged a bunch of snorting pigs. 

"I don't know. Maybe it's her dream to be an Iowa tour guide?" retorted Ben with a grin, making his husband chuckle in amusement. 

"- those hens produce close to fifteen billion eggs a year. That's enough eggs to feed everyone in the world an egg a day for two days or enough eggs to feed everyone in America an egg a day for forty seven days." said the Doctor, making the calculations in her head as she walked down the street with Ben and James "To bring that to an even larger scale, that's enough eggs to circle the planet twenty one times!" 

"Wow." said Ben sarcastically and James grinned "Why don't you settle down in Iowa? You sure seem to know a lot about it." 

"What? Me, settling down - are you crazy? That's not me. I can't do that." said the Doctor as she looked at Ben and James honestly and shook her head "There's just so much to see in this universe that is constantly changing, constantly surprising, constantly beautiful!" 

"So you wouldn't settle down and get married and enjoy the pleasures of domestic life? Not even for a special someone?" asked Ben with raised eyebrows as he exchanged glances with James. 

"I don't have a special someone anymore" said the Doctor wistfully, her eyes darting towards her wedding ring. "Anyway who would be mad enough to ask me to marry them?" 

"I don't know. Maybe a certain enchanting blue eyed, dark haired, pretty boy with a metal arm that can't stop looking at you with a warm loving smile." said Ben in a merry and cheerful voice, that implied more while James hid a grin and the Doctor felt heat creep up her neck at the thought of Bucky.

"I don't know what you are talking about." said the Doctor, her eyes fixed on the detector not wanting to see the triumphant and teasing grins on her best friends faces. 

"Doctor, you of all people should know that denial is a river in Egypt." said James with a smirk and Ben high fived him with a grin. "It's no shame in admitting that you might fancy someone. You know have an interest in someone new."

"I don't like Bucky." replied the Doctor who was thinking of the quiet man's blue eyes that really made her hearts pound faster and was messing with her thought process. 

"Bucky? We never mentioned Bucky!" gasped James in surprise as he and Ben looked at the Doctor knowingly and mischievously. 

"Do you two have something to say to me instead of being little Daleks?" asked the Doctor turning around and finally confronting her best friends impatiently. 

"We were merely just talking about your newfound interest in Bucky." said James with a smirk that made the Doctor roll her eyes. 

"No. I have no interest in him." said the Doctor shaking her head at James. 

"We believe you." said Ben innocently, with an expression that screamed that he did not believe the Doctor at all "But it's just that we've noticed a spark between you and Bucky ever since you met. Your incandescent smile when he meets your eyes, the way you look at him when you think he isn't looking -"

"The way he looks at you with warmth and love in his eyes, the way he blushes around you, the way you show off and try to impress him -" began James picking up from where his husband had left off and the Doctor shook her head. 

"I do not do that!" snapped the Doctor, blushing at how her best friends were teasing her about Bucky "You're delusional!" 

"And now you're blushing." stated James in a matter of fact tone with a grin.

"I'm not blushing!" spluttered the Doctor wondering how all of this had begun and wanting to stop it "This is just - my face - it's an allergic reaction of my face to idiots!" 

"Whatever you say." said Ben with an innocent smile and then nudged the Doctor "Come on, Doctor. Spill the tea! Tell us what is going on with you and tall, dark and handsome!" 

The Doctor was quiet for a moment and then knew that they would never let her go unless she opened up to them, so she confessed "Bucky is - well, it's complicated. It's a bit wibbly wobbly timey wimey." 

"What?" asked James and Ben in unison as they folded their arms together. 

"Um - how do I - well, this is the thing. Bucky has met me in his past but I haven't met him yet because his past is my future." explained the Doctor to James who was listening with raised eyebrows and Ben who looked absolutely taken aback "So he knows me but I don't know him." 

"Oh god. Doctor, that's awful." said Ben looking absolutely devastated "So you don't remember him at all?" 

"How can I remember someone that I've never met?" asked the Doctor looking at Ben with a tight smile "He remembers me. He knows me and - but I don't know anything about him. It's all still waiting for me in my future. I guess it's nice to know that I have a future." 

Ben and James chuckled at the Doctor's dark sense of humor and then James supplied "But - I don't understand. You've met him now." 

"Yes. Well, this is my first time meeting him. But I haven't met the Bucky who met me properly in his past. So to sum this very complicated situation up - oh god I need a chalkboard." said the Doctor with a groan as she felt a mild headache coming "Basically, the first time Bucky meets me is the future me in his past. And the first time I meet him is now - which is future him which is in my past if you think about it." 

"Okay. Wow. So you just complicated it more." said James rubbing his head that was spinning trying to understand this complicated story "What a complicated love story." 

"So basically, now he's a stranger who knows everything about you. And in the future, to him, you're going to be a stranger who knows everything about him." said Ben who was processing all these facts that the Doctor had told them about Bucky and her. 

"Yes! You're brilliant!" exclaimed the Doctor snapping her fingers and kissing Ben's forehead "That's correct!" 

"That's kind of sad if you think about it. You're both ghosts to each other. You care about each other but everything keeps you apart." said James reflectively not seeing the Doctor flinch and Ben nudged James nodding at the Doctor's wistful and sad expression and then James changed the subject "Hang on! I have a question. If you met him in your future, how can he be here?" 

"Apparently I meet him during the World War. He's hundred and seven years old." said the Doctor casually ignoring how Ben and James' jaws dropped in amazement "Brainwashed by HYDRA to be an assassin. He's free of all those effects now. I suppose cryogenic sleep must have helped him live this long." 

"That's terrible, Doctor. Do you mean to say that Bucky was controlled to kill people by the orders of a mad organization?" asked Ben, his eyes wide with horror and sympathy. 

The Doctor nodded her head as she felt the signal getting stronger and James looked at the Doctor incredulously "How can you take it? How can you be so calm Doctor? A man has gone through so much of suffering and pain and you don't care." 

"What makes you think I don't care?" asked the Doctor looking at her friends as she raised her eyebrows inquiringly. 

"You're just standing here calmly! If you really cared, you could take the TARDIS back in time and save Bucky!" exclaimed Ben looking at the Doctor and for a moment, the Doctor saw Donna. "Just save him!"

"It doesn't work like that, Ben. I can't save everyone and I can't rewrite fixed points in time." said the Doctor coldly, shocking Ben and James with her frostiness but that was the only defense mechanism the Doctor had to keep her emotions from outpouring. Because she did badly want to go and save Bucky but she knew that even sometimes she couldn't win. "Saving him would change time. His incident is essential for all the events to be exactly what they are supposed to be."

"So that's it? You're going to send a man you love to his death? To suffer and be a brainwashed for years and years?" asked Ben sharply and fiercely as he caught up with the Doctor who was walking away from them "That is the secret grand infamous story of the Doctor?" 

"Welcome to time travel, dear." said the Doctor nonchalantly with a fake sweet smile after a moment and pushed Ben away and began walking again.

"Doctor. If his past is your future, that means you knew. You knew all that time that he was going to suffer as a brainwashed HYDRA assassin and you didn't do anything." said James in a knowing and strong voice that stopped the Doctor who closed her eyes and took in a deep breath "You condemned a man who loved you to years of suffering. And you knew everything and you didn't do anything to save him." 

"Yes." said the Doctor fiercely and sadly as she turned around faced her best friends "Because - because that's the burden of being a Timelord. Sometimes I can't save them, I can't change time. And as much as I want to save them, I can't do anything except watch them walk to their deaths. Because sometimes, even I can't win!" 

There was silence at the Doctor's outrageous and fierce speech and then suddenly the detector beeped loudly getting their attention and the three of them looked at the detector which was showing a strong alien presence in the house that was near them. 

"BING - POT!" exclaimed the Doctor in victory as she punched the air and then looked at Ben and James "I was going to go for JACKPOT but then I realized BINGPOT would be better - anyways, let's go have tea with a horrible alien." 

They crept quietly into the house that was old and broken down and the doctor gingerly knocked on the door which was already opened and they all exchanged curious glances. 

"Now, be careful." whispered the Doctor as she looked at Ben and James who nodded as they entered the house which was messy and looked like it had not been lived in for a long time. 

"God it stinks in here." said Ben screwing up his nose as he looked at the house which was dark due to the windows which were closed by the curtains and blinds "It smells like rotten whales and fish farts." 

"Is there such a thing?" asked James as he looked around in curiosity while the Doctor quietly followed her alien detector. 

"I'm just telling you what it smells like." retorted Ben who shrugged as he covered his nosed with his jacket. 

"Check the fridge." instructed the Doctor amused at Ben's and James' banter but at the same time wanting to find John "And the rooms. Shout if there's trouble." 

Ben and James nodded as they paired up together and went to investigate the kitchen and then upstairs while the Doctor stayed downstairs where the signal was very, very strong. But as she searched every room down stairs, she could not find John. Invisibility was not one of his gifts and it was annoying her that her detector was working but there was no John. She entered the kitchen where the table was dusty and honestly the Doctor thought the house needed serious spring cleaning. But she opened the fridge and saw that there was enough food for a whole family for a month. Milk, meat, vegetables, yogurt, juice - but why would there be so much of food for an empty house with no people in it? Unless it was sustenance for an alien who was hiding from her. She wiped the dust from the table and rubbed it on her fingers feeling it on her skin. It felt weirdly different from the normal composition and texture of general dirt. She wiped the dust from the table and then tasted it to confirm her suspicions and she was right. It wasn't real dust, it was definitely made up as a facade, as a part of an act of hiding. 

John was good.

But the Doctor knew that she was better. 

From upstairs, a familiar voice screamed in terror, sending shock waves through the Doctor and the Doctor quickly ran from the kitchen as she darted upstairs knowing it was Ben who had screamed. She felt terror flood through her, hoping that nothing bad had happened to her best friend and she kicked down the first door that she encountered to see Ben holding onto James as they looked upon a pile of dead bodies that had fallen from a closet. 

"Ben!" exclaimed the Doctor relieved that his best friends had not been eaten, exterminated, converted or killed by some monster. "James!" 

"Oh my god, Doctor!" said Ben in relief as his eyes widened at the sight of the Doctor and he ran towards her and hugged her "We were just investigating like you said and we opened this closet and the dead bodies just came out - oh my god - they've been dead!"

The Doctor realized that James was hugging her too and she hugged Ben and James comfortingly "Hey, hey! I've got you. It's just - they are dead. They can't hurt you." 

"Yes but - they're dead! The whole family!" said James shaking as he pointed at the mother, father, sister and brother who were covered and splattered in blood, their mouths opened in horror and they were bruised, wounded and scratched horribly "God! They were murdered!" 

"Yes. Very brutally and cruelly. I suppose our killer was a murder fan." said the Doctor who made her way to the pile of dead bodies, her hearts trembling in sympathy and rage as she took in how the victims had no eyes, they were strangled, their arms and legs were bruised, their chests were punctured and ripped out and how the blood oozed out and splattered throughout the closet and the floor "Judging by their wounds and the blood, this happened today morning.He really wanted to get rid of this family immediately." 

"Why?" asked Ben faintly as the Doctor examined the dead bodies with her screwdriver. 

"Why do you think?" asked the Doctor calmly as she looked at Ben and James "The killer needed a place to hide."

There was a moment of silence and then James gulped in fright as he looked at the Doctor "So you're saying the killer is in this room?" 

"No. James, don't be silly. If it was in this room, we'd be dead by now." said the Doctor as she pocketed her screwdriver and then looked sadly at the family that had died mercilessly at the killer's hands. "We need to go now." 

"What? What about this family?" asked Ben in concern, looking frightened as he looked at the dead family and then the Doctor.

"Ben, there is a very dangerous alien who could kill us right now and we need to go. Actually scratch that. You need to go and I need to fin this alien." said the Doctor as she left the room and climbed down the stairs followed by Ben and James "Go to the TARDIS, activate the -" 

"No, we're not leaving you!" exclaimed James in exasperation and disbelief "Are you mad? John can kill you!" 

"He can kill you too!" shot back the Doctor wondering why they never did as she told them to.

"Then we all die together." replied James fiercely as he took hold of Ben's hand and both of them nodded loyally at the Doctor who was taken aback. "We're not leaving you here Doctor. You're our best friend." 

The Doctor was silent for a moment and then she felt the detector stronger as ever and she snapped "What the hell! Why is it giving off such a strong signal but there is no John or alien here?" 

"Okay. Why?" asked Ben calmly as she followed the Doctor who was pacing about in the living room angrily. 

"I don't know. That's why I asked the question, Ben." said the Doctor rolling her eyes at Ben and then almost tripped over a loose floorboard but caught herself in time. Then she looked curiously at the loose floorboard that was covered with a carpet and nodded at Ben and James who nodded at her and together the three of them, tore the carpet off the floor revealing the floorboards that were loose and the Doctor's detector was detecting the presence very strongly here. The Doctor knew that Ben and James were thinking the exact same thing that she was and together the three of them lifted the loose floorboards revealing a woman with dark curly hair and menacing eyes with blood on her hands staring at them with blood lust.

"That's not John but I think we definitely found our murderer." said the Doctor as the three of them backed away slowly "Oh hello. Lovely place you got here. Fancy a cuppa tea and a civilized conversation?" 

The woman growled and lunged towards the Doctor and pinned the Doctor onto the floor, starting to strangle her but Ben came to the rescue by pulling the strong woman away from the Doctor with great strength and effort. The woman turned around and punched Ben in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and then she punched him again in the stomach making him fall onto the ground. 

"She's a fighter with extraordinary strength!" yelled the Doctor as she scanned the woman's DNA which was definitely alien with her screwdriver "Do not let her kill you!" 

"Oh wonderful plan, Doctor!" yelled James who whacked the woman with a chair, making her stumble away from Ben "Get away from my husband, you bitch!" 

"How do we defeat her?" yelled Ben who was currently running away from the woman who was growling at him while chasing him. 

"OI! Over here! Pick on someone who is your own size!" yelled the Doctor waving her hands in the air as she got the woman's attention before she was seconds away from killing Ben. "I'm the Doctor! Everyone wants to kill me!" 

The woman started chasing the Doctor threw pictures at the woman who dodged it and she ran into the kitchen. The woman advanced into the kitchen and found no one there and as she walked around the kitchen, the Doctor suddenly appeared from underneath the table and kicked the woman's legs, making her fall down and before she could stand up, the Doctor opened the fridge door and hit her on the face knocking her unconscious and then hit her with a tray on the table for good measure as she panted and looked at the unconscious woman.

Ben and James ran into the kitchen to see that the Doctor was alive and she smirked at both of them "I learned those moves from Diana of Themiscyra. She was a real fighter." 

"What do we do? She's going to wake up and kill us." said James who was still shocked that he had whacked a woman with a chair. 

"I say - we tie her up." said the Doctor with a wicked grin "And I know just the thing to do it with." 

But the woman had woken up and before she could do anything, the Doctor hit her again with the baking tray hard, making her unconscious again and then sighed "Oh dear. New plan. We - we should call Diana." 

"Who?" asked Ben and James in confusion.

"Wonder Woman. You should meet her. Just don't get on her bad side." said the Doctor rubbing her head, trying to figure out a plan and then James bought a chair while Ben sat the woman down. Ben searched for some rope and they tied her up quickly as possible. The Doctor sonicked the rope to be tight and each time that she would struggle, the rope would get tighter and tighter until she could not breathe. 

The woman woke up and glared and growled at them as she tried to break free of her ropes but the Doctor who was sitting in front of her calmly said "Oh don't bother trying to break out of those bonds. I specially made them so when you try to break free, it'll get tighter and tighter and sear your skin giving you a slow and painful death." 

The woman who didn't believe the Doctor tried to break free of the bonds and the Doctor rolled her eyes at the woman who for a few moments struggled and then gave up and glared at the Doctor who smiled "Hello. I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm the Doctor. Who are you?" 

"Doctor Who?" asked the woman spitefully. 

The Doctor merely smiled but Ben and James had been with her long enough to know that it was dangerous "I asked you a question. What is your name and where do you come from?" 

"I am not going to tell you anything!" spat the woman hatefully as she glared at the Doctor who nodded. 

"Alright. I did this the nice way. Let's do it the easy way now." said the Doctor as she got up and dusted her clothes as she opened her briefcase and took out a rope that shone in golden brilliance "This is something that I borrowed from a friend of mine. The Lasso of Hestia compels you to tell the truth."

The Doctor put the Lasso on the woman and tightened it as she held a grip on it "Alright. This is the last time I'm asking. I know you're an alien. Who are you and where do you come from?" 

"I am Athena. I come from the planet Destilliana." said the woman in a strange voice that scared Ben and James but the Doctor looked very calm as if she had witnessed this before.

The woman seemed to return back to her normal self and looked at the Doctor in shock "How did I do that?" 

"Ah. Like I told you, my friend's lasso here compels you to tell me the truth about anything I ask you. It's quite handy." said the Doctor with a grin "Why did you kill this family? Where is John?"

"I needed a place to hide. He knew that you would come here to find him." said Athena, the truth spouting out of her mouth.

"Who?" 

"John. He knew that you would fall easily to his cunning ruse and would do anything to find him." said Athena with a smirk that irritated the Doctor because John had outsmarted her.

"Where is John?" asked the Doctor tightening the lasso "Where can I find him?" 

"John is long gone. You will not find him. He will find you." said Athena truthfully as she looked at the Doctor "And he leaves you with a message." 

"What message?" asked the Doctor curiously. "Oh I see. This was distraction and you are his messenger with a message for me. What is his message?"

"Ares is coming." said Athena wisely and calmly for a woman who was tied up with skin searing bonds "The Doctor will Fall. The Universe will Crumble. The Hero will Die." 

"I don't believe in prophecies." said the Doctor with a chuckle after a horrible, still moment. 

"It is not a prophecy. The Lasso of Hestia compels me to tell you nothing but the truth." said Athena with a laugh that mocked the Doctor "And your end is near, Doctor. There is nothing you can do about it." 


	21. Chapter 21

Bucky had been absolutely angry and rejected when the Doctor told him that he couldn't come with her to Iowa to chase a dangerous alien who wanted to kill her. Bucky had suggested that he should come along to protect her but the Doctor had insisted that she would be perfectly fine with Ben and James and her TARDIS, promising him that she will come back to him safely. Bucky's anger had now faded into worry as he sat in Peter's apartment with Sam and Peter while they discussed what they had found as they drank coffee but Bucky was worried about the Doctor. It had been three hours since she had last left in the TARDIS with Ben and Sam and he was beginning to think that the worst had happened. But he was still holding onto the promise she had made him with a beautiful smile and the hope he had because he had just met her and he did not want to lose her. 

Bucky understands that the Doctor he met now is a younger version of the one he had met before in her past. He knows certain things about her that he cannot afford to tell her and he can see her looking at him trying to figure him out. He remembers the woman that he had met a long time ago. Even when HYDRA brainwashed him, she always lingered in the back of his mind like a shadow. She was a constant that he had held onto his whole life and he thought that he would never see her again. But here she was, alive and young looking at him with no idea of who he is to her and that makes him feel relieved and heartbroken at the same time. He finds it miraculous that they found each other again but it was cruel that she did not remember who he was to her. She didn't remember their memories, their laughter, their story together. 

He remembers seeing her several times before they met properly but she would never see him. From the moment Bucky saw her, he was intrigued and fascinated and wanted to be acquainted with the strange woman who wore men's clothing and didn't care for propriety or morality. People would laugh at her and mock her but she simply walked on ignoring all of them as if she was above their mere simple pettiness. They had finally met properly but even then she had not been sweet and nice like the other dames would have been when a soldier approached them. She pushed him away and walked away from him carelessly. That intrigued Bucky's interest in her more but with the war he thought the odds of meeting her again were slim. 

But they had met again. And again. And again. And again. 

And she showed herself to be the most unusual and different woman in the whole world with her actions and words. She would push him away but then come back to him. She flustered him whenever she walked into a room. Bucky would nervously approach her and talk to her at first and then fell into an easy conversation and even managed to make her crack a smile and laugh. Bucky would walk her home like a true gentleman and take her dancing even though she insisted she wasn't very good at it. He would watch her sketch and listen to her stories that were impossible and imaginative, but made him fall more in love with her every day. He would catch her looking at him wistfully sometimes, as if he reminded her of someone important, as if she knew something important about him but she would never tell him. From the moment he met her, Bucky knew that she was a woman full of secrets and he never pestered her and bothered her to reveal all those secrets to him. But if she was in a good mood, she would tell him of days long gone and constellations and stars, and stories of myths and legends that he had never heard.

He knew all these little things about her and she knew little things about him too. And Bucky fell hard for this woman because to him every little thing she did was magical. But the war, the war spoiled everything and divided them apart. She hated that he risked his life and limb but Bucky felt that it was his responsibility. There were times they would talk about the future, what they would do after the war was over and every time she would finish by telling him to get through the war first. 

Bucky remembers his last day, he had said goodbye to her and she was crying. He tried to comfort her but this was different. This seemed like she was crying tears of goodbye. He remembers how she flung her arms around him, apologizing to him and tells him that she will see him very soon. That what they share is true and special and real. 

_No matter what happens, I'll always be with you forever._

Bucky's final thought as he falls down is her. Her name, her smile, her laugh, her lips, her stories. 

Her. 

All those years, tormented and tortured, she was the one who kept him going. 

And now here they are years later, one who remembers and one who has forgotten. 

Bucky feels absolutely worried and hurt as he sighs again for the trillionth time, when he hears a wheezing, groaning sound that is familiar and that gives him hope. 

He rushes out of Peter's apartment to see the beautiful blue box materialized near Peter's apartment and looked at with hope when the door flung open and Ben and James walked out with the Doctor. 

Ben and James exchange knowing grins and greet Bucky and go to Peter's apartment leaving the Doctor and Bucky alone and Bucky looks at the Doctor in relief "You came back." 

"Of course, I came back. I always come back." said the Doctor with a smile as she looked at Bucky "I made a promise to you and I didn't want to break it." 

Bucky feels warmth blossom in his chest as he sees the woman who he fell in love with but then suddenly the last thing he sees is the Doctor's eyes widening in shock. 

"Bucky!" yelled the Doctor in shock as Bucky vanished in place of a Weeping Angel that had suddenly come out of nowhere. "BUCKY!!!" 

Her yelling gets the attention of Ben, James, Peter and Sam who rushes out of Peter's apartment to find the Doctor facing Weeping Angels and they keep their eyes on the Angels and realize there is one more person missing.

"Where the hell did they come from?" asked Ben in fright and shock as he kept his eyes on the Angel but he could feel the Doctor's distraught and shock. 

"Where is Bucky?" asked Sam as he looked at the Doctor who was shaking. 

"I'm sorry Sam. I'm so sorry." said the Doctor trembling thinking about Bucky's fond smile before he vanished into thin air. 

"That's not possible." said Sam denying it as he shook his head after a terrible moment of silence "He's not gone." 

_"Oh, they are exquisite and wonderful creatures, aren't they? One mention of your name and they just agreed to help." said John gleefully with a smile as he walked past her and the Doctor dodged him quickly "I've made some modifications for my amusement."_

_"Modifications? What do you mean modifications? You can't modify a Weeping Angel!" exclaimed the Doctor incredulously shaking her head at John "That's impossible!"_

"I'm sorry. Bucky is gone." said the Doctor, keeping her eyes on the Weeping Angels rethinking about the conversation she had, had with John. What if there was a possibility that she could get Bucky back to the present? What if - if she took the risk and just blinked to go back in time and find Bucky?

The Doctor thought of Bucky and his warm smile and how he looked at her caring and trustingly and she took a decision and took a step forward and Ben saw that "Doctor, what the hell are you doing?" 

"I'm going to blink. It's my best shot at finding Bucky." said the Doctor taking a leap of faith for the man she hardly knew but trusted "I have to find him no matter what. I made him a promise." 

"Are you insane? Come back into the TARDIS, Doctor! We can figure something out!" replied Ben who took the Doctor's hand and tried to drag her away from the Angel but the Doctor just shook his hand away from hers. 

"It's okay. I'll be fine. I'll find him. I'm going to save him, just like I should have done." said the Doctor taking in a deep breath not seeing Ben and James expressions of dismay and despair "Do you know what? Sam, I'm so sorry. Peter, you're going to change the world. I'm so proud of you." 

"Stop this Doctor!" snapped James who was scared at how the Doctor was walking towards the Angel "You're talking like there's a possibility you'll never come back!" 

"Doctor, please. Think about what you're doing!" pleaded Peter childishly, not wanting to lose another mentor and parent figure. "Please just - don't leave me alone."

"Don't worry. I'll come back. I always come back. I just - don't follow me." said the Doctor with a smile as she readied herself "Ben and James, in case the worst happens, leave the TARDIS and go back to home. Be happy and remember me a little."

"Doctor please -" said Ben with tears in his eyes as he looked at the woman who was his best friend "You're supposed to be with us forever."

The Doctor gritted her teeth as she turned around to face her best friends and look at their beautiful faces one last time with tears in her eyes and bright smile "Goodbye!" 

"No!" Ben, James, Sam and Peter yelled as the Doctor vanished into thin air as the Angel took her. 

"I'm going after her." said Ben, his heart breaking with sadness and hurt. 

"I'm coming with you." said James firmly, feeling sorrowful but at the same time truly good with the decision. 

And then in steadfast silence solidarity, Sam, Peter, James and Ben blinked hoping that it would take them to the Doctor, as they vanished into thin air.


End file.
